ALBUM REVIEW: Jason Mraz's 'Love is a Four Letter Word' succeeds with new blues sound
Jason Mraz’s new album, "Love is a Four Letter Word" was released last Tuesday, his first album since 2008's "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things."
The album is a cross section of Mraz’s style, from some of his hip blues and jazz composing to the pop-rock that has made him so famous.
Those bluesy ideas, though, really are remarkable; “5/6” is Mraz’s trip to the experimental, jazzy side of his work, and it comes off cool and smooth. It’s nice to see a pop artist play with mixed meters like this, too — the piece is alternating bars of five and six, hence the name — but what makes it pop out of the album’s lineup is the mood. Cool, dark, reserved and soulful, it’s begging for a tenor sax cover.
It’s nice to see Mraz moving toward bluesy ideas like these, turf so often reserved for artists outside mainstream music, because it means we don’t have to listen to him paint with the normal four-piece rock palette.
So it goes with “The Freedom Song,” where Mraz dares to lean heavily on a Stevie Wonder-style horn line and gospel backup vocals. “Be Honest” even pulls in some vibraphone and nice touches of jazz guitar.
He doesn’t leave his mainstream fans hanging, though. “Everything is Sound” is classic hip-but-sunny Mraz, peppered with smart production choices (baritone sax, electric organ), and from standard pop tracks like “93 Million Miles” to “The World As I See It,” we hear a lot of the Mraz we’re used to.
His current single, “I Won’t Give Up,” comes in two versions; the radio edit and an acoustic demo track with a more personal feel.
Of course, the album has its drawbacks. Mraz’s stomping grounds have always been light pop-rock, so his forays toward jazz and blues influences sometimes sound forced. Some of his jazziest songs ("The Freedom Song” and “5/6”) and even some of his pop tunes come off stiff sometimes, a bit "Michael Bublé."
If he’s looking to sound hip and loose, taking more risks and coloring outside the lines wouldn’t hurt his sound. A couple of contours through the horn parts, a few more well-played fills, or a more energetic drummer wouldn’t have hurt.
That being said, "Love is a Four Letter Word" won’t disappoint fans. It has the feel of Mraz’s classic sound in the most important places, and even manages to stay fresh and ahead of the curve — something that will keep old fans entertained and maybe win him some new ones.
Artist: Jason Mraz Album: "Love is a Four Letter Word" Genre: Pop-rock Rating: 3.5 out of 5
