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Rating:
I was in the car, just about to pop in the usual disc, when a song caught my ear, delaying the fateful pressing of the play button. I paused to listen. <Oh, this track is nice, acoustic, catchy melody, not bad, who could it be?> Hardly a minute into the commercial FM waves hitting my ears, my damn phone rings, forcing me to lower the volume, it caught me, I wanted to record it, would have posted it on some forum to find out the title, but I forget my phone is a post-war Nokia 2626, can't record, can't take photos, videos, make coffee, or give blowjobs, I resign myself, and for the entire day that damn tune sticks in my head. I don't watch or get MTV, All Music and the like, I don't listen to the radio, I don't use 64 kbps ringtones with the latest hits (faithful to the Nokia tune!), so apart from the urban scene I follow with some consistency, I know little to nothing about commercial or pop releases; everything I know in that genre I hear in stores, on the street, in passing... wait a minute... but if it was on the radio, it must be famous, COMMERCIAL! I dive into the Billboard Hot 100, browsing through the previews of the best-selling singles, when at position 22 I come across the song that's been buzzing in my head. With no small satisfaction, I gaze at the title: "Jason Mraz - I'm Yours", even released in the summer, I have no idea who he is, I listen to it fully on YouTube, some ecstatic comments from people who also have some weighty stuff among their favorites catch my eye ("Amazing, luv' Mraz, Best song of the year, regà ndo posso scaricà sto pezzo??? baci xXxTriLLiNahOuSe94xXx"), I read swiftly on Wiki, and I realize this Jason has plenty of previous work, EPs, albums, unnoticed songs, years of career on the margins of the limelight, and only this year has he found some success with this "I'm Yours", and what a success: sales through the roof, 50 million-plus views on YouTube, thousands of homemade videos with unfortunate people crooning to it on guitar, remix after remix, re-edit, hundreds of live videos. Well, well, the song ends up constantly on loop on Winamp, even though the version heard on the radio (acoustic) turns out to be a promo released years earlier, and the current version isn't all that great. I opt nevertheless to give the album a listen, I read good impressions, the word "eclectic" in his bio urges me further to listen, the photos showing a sober and simple look, far from the exaggerations-schemas-flashy looks typical of many music biz characters, confirms he's worth a look, he must be a nice guy, plays the guitar decently, has a nice voice, let's listen to the latest album, it's "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things"!
The impression? It’s an album filled with more or less trivial songs, many are catchy, not too pretentious, rich with various influences (not all successful), ranging from the sweetest pop, to more intellectual acoustic stuff, with bursts of dance, tinges of funk, ragga chants, hip-hop beats, many retro callbacks. All very nice if not for the fact that when the songs are taken individually and not as mere background noise, they are of a shocking anonymity and blandness; I was hoping not to find a typical album with 3 hit singles and 10 filler tracks, but that was the final impression. He has an acceptable voice, for goodness sake, fresh, clear, very pleasant and youthful, the arrangements are always well done and stick in your head, there's an appreciable quest for a certain variety in the genres proposed, not a manufactured artist, clearly, this guy has been making records for 9 years that no one has ever bothered to notice. The beautiful acoustic version of I'm Yours that I had sought so much I find to be vastly inferior to the promo contained on "Sampler 01" (2005), which has happened with other songs as well, since several have already been released in past works, and now they are being re-offered with new arrangements, needless to say, the old versions seem less studied for audiences with easy tastes, more heartfelt, more personal, in short, BETTER.
And so it's easy to range from dancing uptempo tracks like "Butterfly" and "Only Human", structured with good horn sections, sax, funky rhythms, fast beat, catchy choruses, a bit of a lustful, a bit of a relaxed, a bit of a disco atmosphere, (clearly recalling some of Jamiroquai's best times), to the vintage tones of "The Dynamo Of Volition", the hip-hop beats of "Coyotes", moving to boring end-of-year dance ballads worthy of the worst American Pie, like "A Beautiful Mess" "Details In The Fabric" "Love For A Child." Three redeemable episodes, ironically, include the hit single "I'm Yours", with its reggae and pop flavor, in its easy listening truly beautiful and captivating (though I always recommend opting for the guitar-voice version), "If It Kills Me" (a ballad with not too many pretensions, yet stands out for a studied arrangement, very "pianobar," surely appreciable), but especially the duet "Lucky," where he collaborates with the charming voice of Colbie Caillat, a sweet and slow track with beautiful chords and a nice riff, though it does find weak spots in the very banal lyrics ("I'm lucky because I'm in love with my best friend, blah blah blah," Yawn.).
So, if Mraz had given good expectations with his interesting past works, those can't certainly be said to have been fulfilled with this commercial boom. If breaking into the mainstream means ruining everything good that was built during the long grind, rearranging and re-singing great tracks with a modern hyper-radio oriented sound, crafting a product of 13 mediocre tracks, good for pimply teenagers, then I would have been better off stopping at the listen of the beautiful I'm Yours and that's it, farewell to Jason. The album's production is simply excellent, sounds divine, mastered as it should be, all packed and refreshed for a public with easy tastes, worth noting, I preferred his lo-fi side, the unknown products where his passion for music and offering a bit more sophisticated songs were on full display, but success gets to your head, it's well known, while waiting to see what Mraz has in store for the future, a 2.5 rating is rounded down to 2, due to the already mentioned reasons. And to think I've seen rave reviews for this album, critics welcomed it warmly, well I didn't, next time in the car I'll pop in Surkin, make the windows shake, and screw the radio and Mraz.
Avoidable.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 I'm Yours (04:02)
Well you dawned on me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
and now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon its again my turn to win some or learn some
I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing,
we're just one big family.
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love love
So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
Do you want to, come on, scootch over closer dear
And I will nibble your ear
I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I'm saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue
I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find the sky is yours
Listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
ah, la one big family ([2nd time:] ah, la happy family)
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love love love
I won't hesitate no more
Oh no more no more no more
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved, I'm sure
Theres no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
No I won't hesitate no more, no more
This cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours, I'm yours
04 Butterfly (05:00)
I’m taking a moment just imaginin’ that I’m dancin’ with you
I’m your pole and all you’re wearing is your shoes
You got soul, you know what to do to turn me on until I write a song about you
And you have your own engaging style
And you’ve got the knack to vivify
And you make my slacks a little tight, you may unfasten them if you like
That’s if you crash and spend the night
But you don’t fold, you don’t fade
You’ve got everything you need, especially me
Sister you’ve got it all
You make the call to make my day
In your message say my name
Your talk is all the talk, sister you’ve got it all
Curl your upper lip up and let me look around
Ride your tongue along your bottom lip and bite down
And bend your back and ask those hips if I can touch
'cause they’re the perfect jumping off point of getting closer to your
Butterfly
You float on by
Oh kiss me with your eyelashes tonight
Or Eskimo your nose real close to mine
And let’s mood the lights and finally make it right
But you don’t fold, you don’t fade, you’ve got everything you need
Especially me
Sister you’ve got it all
You make the call to make my day
In you message say my name
Your talk is all the talk sister you’ve got it all
You’ve got it all, you’ve got it all, you’ve got it all (2x)
You’ve got it all, you’ve got it all
Doll I need to see you pull your knee socks up
Let me feel you up side, down slide, in slide, out slide, over here
Climb into my mouth now child
Butterfly, well you landed on my mind
Dammit you landed on my ear and then you crawled inside
Now I see you perfectly behind closed skies
I wanna fly with you and I don’t wanna lie to you
Cause I, cause I can’t recall a better days
I’m coming to shine on the occasion
You’re an open minded lady
You’ve got it all
And I never forget a face
If I’m making my own
I have my days
Let’s face the fact here, it’s you that’s got it all
You know that fortune favors the brave
Well let me get paid while I make you breakfast
The rest is up to you, you make the call
You make the call to make my day
In your message say my name
Your talk is all the talk, sister you’ve got it all
I can’t recall a better days
so I’m coming to shine on the occasion
You’re a sophisticated lady, oh you’ve got it all
You’ve got it all, you’ve got it all, you’ve got it all (3x)
You’ve got it all, you’ve got it all….
Butterfly, baby, well you’ve got it all
05 Live High (04:12)
I try to picture a girl
Through a looking glass
See her as a carbon atom
See her eyes and stare back at them
See that girl
As her own new world
Though a home is on the surface, she is still a universe
Glory God, oh God is peeking through the blinds
Are we all here standing naked
Taking guesses at the actual date and time
Oh my, justifying reasons why
Is an absolutely insane resolution to live by
Live high
Live mighty
Live righteously
Takin it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously
Try to picture the man
To always have an open hand
See him as a giving tree
See him as matter
Matter fact he's not a beast
No not the devil either
Always a good deed doer
And it's laughter that we're makin after all
The call of the wild is still an ordination why
And the order of the permeates
All our politics are too late
Oh my, the congregation in my mind
Is this assembly singing gratitude
Practicing their livin for you
Live high
Live mighty
Live righteously
Takin it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously
Just take it easy
And celebrate the malleable reality
Nothing is ever as it seems
This life is but a dream
Live high
Live mighty
Live righteously
Takin it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously
08 Coyotes (03:38)
I'm sipping coffee at a quarter to two
Awake and I'm dialing and my mind's running to you
No wonder I'm a one-woman man
She keeps my heart in a jar in a nightstand
I should tell her that she couldn't be more
Opposite than a foot in the door
There's no one else I would rather go out with
It's hell when I see them standing there
Me and my mouth we don't mean to be rushing
We talk about thee freely cause we crushing
I'm gonna shake both sides of the butt, yeah
Theoretically yes ain't we lucky
And when the coyotes they sing in the park
That's when the city life starts falling for the sea
Winding roads are winding down
And the flying men will hit the ground
Every notion is closer to touching
The coyotes sing when they call on your loving
We're coming back for more
You know why, we're coming for you
You know we should be
We should be together
Cause once we rock, we won't wanna stop
Not today or tomorrow
(Not today or tomorrow, oh no)
You better lock your doors
You know why, cause we want you
Cause we like you alotta
I wish the wild was alive like you
I wish the wind would blow me through
Another opportunity to approach you
Another telepathic rendezvous
I wish you well with your weapon of jargon
You've got a double sided lexicon
I gotta try to keep your attention
Gotta write using less emoticons
Gotta figure out the snooze alarm
I wanna lay in your place 'til dawn
I wanna play in the park, come on
Now let me see your other upper echelon
And when the coyotes escape to New York
Then the city life has crumbled to the sea
And the girls will fall to the lost and found
The flying men will hit the ground
Every notion is closer to touching
The coyotes sing when they feast on your loving
I'm a coyote and I got a taste for your loving
We're coming back for more
You know why, we're coming for you
You know we should be
We should be together
Because once we rock, we won't wanna stop
Not today or tomorrow
(Not today or tomorrow, oh no)
Because once we rock, we won't wanna stop
Not today or tomorrow
We're coming back for more
You know why, we're coming for you
You know we should be
We should be together
Cause once we rock, we won't wanna stop
Not today or tomorrow
11 If It Kills Me (04:33)
Hello, tell me you know
Yeah, you figured me out
Something gave it away
It would be such a beautiful moment
To see the look on your face
To know that I know that you know now
And baby that’s a case of my wishful thinking
You know nothing
Well, you and I
Why, we go carrying on for hours on end
We get along much better
Than you and your boyfriend
Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
How long, can I go on like this,
Wishing to kiss you,
Before I rightly explode?
Well, this double life I lead isn’t healthy for me
In fact it makes me nervous
If I get caught I could be risking it all
'Cause maybe there’s a lot that I miss
In case I’m wrong
All I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If it kills me
If I should be so bold
I’d ask you to hold my heart in your hand
I'd tell you from the start how I’ve longed to be your man
But I never said a word
I guess I’m gonna miss my chance again
Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If it kills me
I think it might kill me
And all I really want to do is feel you
Yeah, the feeling inside keeps building
I'll find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
It might kill me
12 A Beautiful Mess (05:41)
You've got the best of both worlds
You're the kind of girl who can take down a man,
And lift him back up again
You are strong but you're needy,
Humble but you're greedy
Based on your body language,
your shouted cursive I've been reading
You're style is quite selective,
though your mind is rather reckless
Well I guess it just suggests
that this is just what happiness is
Hey, what a beautiful mess this is
It's like picking up trash in dresses
Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write
Kind of turn themselves into knives
And don't mind my nerve you can call it fiction
'Cause I like being submerged in your contradictions dear
'Cause here we are, here we are
Although you were biased I love your advice
Your comebacks they're quick
And probably have to do with your insecurities
There's no shame in being crazy,
Depending on how you take these
Words that paraphrasing this relationship we're staging
And it's a beautiful mess, yes it is
It's like, we are picking up trash in dresses
Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you say
Kind of turn themselves into blades
And the kind and courteous is a life I've heard
But it's nice to say that we played in the dirt
Cause here, here we are, Here we are
Here we are [x7]
13 Life Is Wonderful (04:38)
It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I'm saying
It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction
Ah, la, la, la, life is wonderful
Ah, la, la, la, life goes full circle
Ah, la, la, la, life is wonderful
Ah, la, la, la
It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn, brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other
And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
And It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished, yeah
Ah, la, la, la, life is wonderful
Ah, la, la, la, life goes full circle
Ah, la, la, la, life is wonderful
Ah, la, la, la
It is so...
It takes some silence to make sound
And it takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to make a mountain
Ah, la, la, la, life is wonderful
Ah, la, la, la, life goes full circle
Ah, la, la, la, life is wonderful
Ah, la, la, la, life is meaningful
Ah, la, la, la, life is wonderful
Ah, la, la, la
It is so wonderful
It is so meaningful
It is so wonderful
It is meaningful
It is wonderful
It is meaningful
It goes full circle
Wonderful
Meaningful
Full circle
Wonderful
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