Mraz's song structures remain simple, his guitar parts light. But as he had stated before the release, Mraz adds horns and an assortment of keys to give a couple of the tracks a dancey, disco feel. With the addition of children's chorus in the lead single "I'm Yours" (a track he has played for some time live, but until now has not been added it to an album) Mraz's work comes out as a more full band effort with very few tracks focusing on his guitar work alone. By adding a duet with Colbie Caillat and James Morrison, Mraz, or Atlantic, makes great choices with other hot artists on the popular and underground level in order to possibly make Jason Mraz return to his fame of Waiting for My Rocket to Come. "Lucky" featuring Caillat, is one of the standout tracks for the whole album and has to be a great choice for the second single. Overall, the musical aspects of this record still give Mraz a nice full sound without returning to the more pop, synthesized sound of Mr. A to Z. While this album sounds more mature, I can't say either sound is better, but both albums are a departure from the simplicity of Mraz with only his guitar.
Lyrically, Mraz has his own style of simplicity and ways to talk about some serious topics with very smooth undertones. He touches on the topics of God, his parents divorce, the flaws of the human race, finding yourself, the broken hearted, and luckily, relationships that are seemingly working just great. All of this said, his tone and atmosphere are very light and he finds ways to never make his songs sound too terribly serious, no matter the topic. He still has a few songs that are seemingly about nothing, just a good time with good music. "The Dynamo of Volition" is a great case because it is simply a feel good song, with Mraz with his quick tongue rambling from topic to topic. Melody is not as strong or as catchy as his previous releases, but could be associated as a trade for a more mature sound, and it works well. With enough songs that are easily accessible to all fans, the other songs are left to allow for a deeper meaning to the entire album.
On a production front, I applaud Mraz for being versatile enough to add so many different instruments to his sound and make this more than just another Jack Johnson mellow acoustical guitar album. Otherwise, I find the overall sonic quality bland and not very adventurous, but for a pop album I guess it will be a hit with the audience, the record producer, and label alike. While not as bass heavy and produced as his last album, nor as acoustic as his first album, his third release finds a nice happy medium between both sounds.
Overall the album is pretty good. It's what would be expected from Mraz. A proven songwriter, he has the ability to pen some great single type songs, as well as others that are enjoyable on other levels. His expansion to a multitude of different sounds show that he is definitely growing as an artist and this album is very enjoyable to listen to. I look for "Lucky" to have a huge hit potential for Mraz but I hope that the public has not already written him off as a one hit wonder.
Key Tracks
I'm Yours
Lucky
Live High
The Dynamo of Volition
Star Rating 3.5 out of 5
