The new Jason Mraz has been at the top of our playlists over the last month! Here are some thoughts from The Soloists:
PK- It’s been a long time since “We Sing” hit the airwaves, so I was ready for this album. It is very enjoyable and features a good mix of styles. Personally, I’m a big fan of “The Woman I Love” and “Who’s Thinking About You Now”. As I listen to the album, more songs continue to grow on me, and there are several addicting hooks and melodies in the songs. A few of the tracks seem to take the “I’m Yours” vibe a little far, but the real Mraz fans will enjoy most of the tracks. Commercially, he doesn’t achieve the same amount of commercial success as some of the chart-topping, auto-tuned idiots out there, but I could care less! These songs will definitely be a part of my summer soundtrack!
EVB – I remember watching one of Jason’s “In Search of Incredible” videos a while back and “The World as I See It” was the background music. It was stuck in my head for a while, and left me waiting in anticipation for the new album. A few weeks before the release, Jason posted some live recordings and they were amazing. Him and Toca were really on their game and the songs were incredible. I’m sad “I Never Knew You” and “You Fckn Did It” didn’t make the album, but they were captured so well in the live recordings maybe its a good thing.
The album has some great vocals and melodies, as Pat said. It feels like Jason was drawing from many different influences to make an album that is continuously interesting to listen to. In fact, the album must have been spinning in my car for a month, and I finally switched to something else for fear that I might get tired of it. He appeals to those looking for the pop melody in songs like “Living in the Moment,” and to those interested in the more complex artistic music in songs like “5/6,” which goes between 5/8 and 6/8 time. My favorite songs on the album are (to my disappointment) the two singles, “I Won’t Give Up” and “The World as I See It.” “I Won’t Give Up” has an amazing amount of emotion conveyed that I can appreciate more with each listen. “The World as I See It” has become my favorite Jason Mraz song overall! The chorus is so simple, but doesn’t come off that way, and makes me just want to sing “Its not hard for me to love you!” when I’m sitting around (luckily for the people at work I usually sing in my head).
If you couldn’t tell from our reviews, you should probably give this album a listen if you haven’t yet. Feel free to comment with any thoughts of your own!