Jason Mraz - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
(Atlantic)
http://www.jasonmraz.com

American singer/songwriter sensation Jason Mraz performed for a select British audience on the day of the release of his third album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The 30-year-old played some songs from the new album as well as a rendition of his hit The Remedy, throwing in some Wonderwall in the middle of a jam session. We Sing... was recorded mostly in London, and Mraz’s staple intricate and clever lyrics are present throughout the album, as is his mix of music genres, combining pop, reggae, folk and some jazzy melodies.

First single I’m Yours displays his ability to sing fast, almost talk, during a slow melody. The tune almost has too much going on, however - it starts off in a beachy, breezy mood, then brings in a choir towards the end, suddenly making it more dramatic than chilled, and then goes back to the a-walk-on-the-beach tone. All this amidst lyrics about bending over backwards trying to see your tongue in the mirror and then fogging it and drawing a face and laughing. But it works; it's very catchy and is prime single material.

There is unity throughout the tracks, a sign of a well-thought out piece of work. Even the artwork seems to portray Mraz’s apparently laid back and unassuming personality. Designed by Scottish artist David Shrigley, the black and white cover simply shows a hand-drawn face with Mraz’s signature hat and the name and album title in handwriting. Allegedly the album title comes from another of Shrigley’s pieces and Mraz decided to use it after coming to the realization that most ideas are recycled.

Indeed, his own body of work in this album doesn’t exactly strike as original or unprecedented, but that doesn’t detract from its passion, cleverness and honesty. Live, Mraz goes on stage barefoot and shows no signs of apprehension. We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. has all the Jason Mraz elements from his previous two albums, with the lyrics and music sounding a bit, well, recycled. But it’s clever and catchy enough for that to be overlooked. And the massive success he’s had since his first album, especially among the women folk, probably points to how this one will be received.

Christina Cromeyer Dieke