Proof that I am obsessed. (A lengthy "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." review.)
I just got a copy of "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." and it's probably my favorite studio album of Jason Mraz's. Of course I go through a phase of idealization when I get new CDs, but I think this one might outlast that phase.
Because I have no life, I am writing a very lengthy song-by-song review. No one is going to read it, but I don't care.
Side Notes, Before I Get to the Nitty Gritty:
- Just for entertainment purposes, I'll mention how I got my copy. I went to Wally World with my mom (or Wal*Mart, if you're not up on hip lingo.) Silly, because Wal*Mart never has had a good selection of CDs. But I was thinking that it would be shining brightly and gloriously on the "New Releases" rack. Oh, nooooo. I ended up looking through their entire Rock/Pop collection and found ONE JASON MRAZ CD in the entire store, which happened to be his new one. Oh, lucky me.
- I am in no way a professional music critic. I just like music. And Jason Mraz. A lot. But this is probably going to end up being nauseatingly positive, anyways.
- God bless Jason Mraz. I was honestly so depressed before I got this album, and now I realized that I saved an awful lot of money on Prozac.
And now...onward!
1. Make it Mine
In typical Mraz fashion, this song makes me so very happy inside. It's just dripping with happiness and optimism and opportunity and unicorns and rainbows and Jesus. It just makes me want to charge out in the world and really...taste it. "Taste past the tip of [my] tongue," so to speak.
2. I'm Yours
Any hardcore Mraz fans have heard this song before. (I, personally, have played the crap out of it. Forty-two times as a matter of fact.) A lot of people actually oppose of this for a single. My heart will always belong to the original. Kind of like how people always have an extreme bias to the original cast in Broadway shows. But I'm not totally against this version, either. It's good. Sitting back and looking at it objectively, it's good.
3. Lucky (featuring Colbie Caillat)
This song is as adorable as a basket of puppies. At first, I was a little bit skeptical of him doing a song with Colbie Caillat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-Colbie or anything. I've just downloaded her singles and haven't been particularly inspired to look for any more. I heard somewhere that she only knew, like, three guitar chords or something. I mean, COME
ON. And I refuse to listen to "Bubbly" without groaning until I have someone to pukingly and adorably think of as I listen to it. But this song pleased me. It more than just pleased me, actually. I really, really liked it. Jason and Colbie's voices harmonize beautifully together. And doesn't this song just encompass what we all want to find in love one day? To be lucky to be in love with your best friend.
4. Butterfly
I heard a recording of this song when Jason performed at the University of Buffalo (where my friend Alex got to see him live...*jealous!*) This version is pretty much the same except for some very minor changes. This song is about doing the naughty. I'm definitely not anti-naughty, and I'm totally pro responsible and respectable naughty since that's how I got here. Tee hee! This isn't a literal butterfly, folks! What really pleases me about this song is about how tastefully done it is. I'm pro tastefulness, too. It's so hard to find a song about sex these days that doesn't have some sort of variation of "I wanna li-li-li-lick you from your head to your toooooes..." Dang...this man must get so much action, though!
5. Live High
Thank you, Jason Mraz, for another happy song to put on my happy shelf. I think I was on the right hunch when I was trying to guess this song's meaning, but a person on SongMeanings.net described it beautifully and perfectly. "Live life 'taking it easy,' basically, don't try and find a reason for everything, just let things be, and enjoy life because it's the only one we have."
6. Love for a Child
It was right before this song when I was starting to wonder when happy, optimistic Mraz would taper off and become deep, philosophical Mraz. Live High was a wonderful blend of both and the perfect segue to the next half of the album. I was wondering when he would write a song about his parents' divorce. On a studio album, anyway. There may be a song performed live that I may not have run across. Even though my parents have never divorced, I can relate to this song. Jason really takes you back to how messed up his childhood was. Also, I'm totally in love with the bridge. "It's kinda nice to work the floor since the divorce. I've been enjoying both my Christmases and my birthday cakes. And taking drugs and making love at far too young an age. And they never check to see my grades. What a fool I'd be to start complaining now."
7. Details in the Fabric (featuring James Morrison)
I loved Bushwalla's voicemail that served as book ends on this song. It really personalized it. And I am going to use the phrase "you're an island of reality in an ocean of diarrhea" in daily conversation that I'll use to confuse people. Ha ha, just like I always say "it's LAUNDRY DAY" when people ask me what time it is. Anyway, what an absolutely and beautifully GORGEOUS song. If someone could just sing this to me next time I go through a hard time, I will love them forever and eternally. James Morrison was a nice touch to this song, too, even though he didn't do much except sing on it. I'm going to mention that I love James Morrison, though, so that didn't sound completely mean.
8. Coyotes
What is better to compare your passionate love and infatuation to than a pack of vicious, carnivorous canines? LOVE IT!! And I love the children's choir at the end. It reminded me of singing in elementary school, and the only way you could tell the actual tune of the song was when it was playing over the loud speakers. And the little boy at the end was ADORABLE. It sounds to me (from the "will you move closer to the mic?" "okay" conversation at the end) that Jason wasn't originally planning on it, but liked this kid's voice and wanted it to be discerned over everyone else's. But that's just my theory.
9. Only Human
"Made of flesh, made of sand, made of human." :D What I got from this song is that being a human is one of the strongest and most vulnerable things you could be, and we're all prone to our imperfections and making mistakes and shouldn't be chastised for them. I'm also reading a suggestion that this song could be about marijuana, which is interesting, even though I personally don't see the references. Also, I can't help but mention that I love this line, for personal reasons: "Are you a riddle to solve all along? Or am I over thinking thoughts? Well, I'm human after all."
10. The Dynamo of Volition
First, can I just say that this is the best song title ever? This is one of my favorite songs lyrically on the album. ("Hack is for the people not believing in go...ooooosh.) Mostly because you get another sneak peak in Jason Mraz's Rhyming Dictionary. I have no idea how he ever comes up with these. "Nintendo been givin' me the blister. I bend over take it in the kisser. My best friends are hittin' on my sister. Try to tell them that they still wish-a cuz she already got herself a mister. And besides, that's gross to want to dis her." Squee. ("You're the best aroooounnnnnnnnnnnnn.....duh.")
11. If it Kills Me
Awwww. Who hasn't gone through this? "Oh em gee! I have the biggest crush in the history of time on my best friend that happens to be of the opposite gender persuasion but I can't let him/her know about it because then our friendship will be COMPLETELY OVAHR but I still must find a way to them because I love love love love loooove this person and I am so spazzed out that I'm going off in run-on sentences!" Yeah. In case you couldn't tell, I relate to this song. Maybe a little bit too much. Thank you, Jason, for adding your brilliant word play to another relatable situation. And I can't forget to mention how much I cracked up when listening to the automatic dialing system try and pronounce "Mraz."
12. A Beautiful Mess
Dude. This is my theme song. It makes me sound like the most bipolar person on the planet by saying that, or at least a total oxymoron, but I'm still claiming this song for my own. And that's all I have to say to that.
http://community.livejournal.com/jasonmraz/902784.html
