Jason Mraz "Love is a Four Letter Word"

         Love is a Four Letter Word, but so is LAME. I am not a fan of Jason Mraz, per se, but I do happen to like some of his music, and respect him as a musician. Mraz may not be the first, and he absolutely will not be the last, but since he sings about love so much why doesn’t he focus a whole album on it? I don’t think there is a better track to open the record than “The Freedom Song.” The island jazz  sound  is really energizing, and gets you psyched for the rest of the record; it is real easy to believe these lines he sings: “We've got some life to bring/We've got some joy in this thing.” The next song is easy and breezy, but has a little more zest for life than his first single from his last record, and is about “Living in the Moment.” This is true: “Sometimes the world can make you feel/You're not welcome anymore/And you beat yourself up/You let yourself get mad,” and it seems like there is no hope for reconciliation. If there is the only person that can give that to me that would be “The Woman I Love;” the piano is a nice touch on this one.                                  This is Your Life, and I know that it may not be easy to keep on going, especially when you are an existentialist and you feel that you have nothing to offer, but you need to say “I Won’t Give Up.” This song may be about a relationship, but this can be an anthem for anything really. What follows is a song about “5/6” minutes that could work as a Buffet tune. For this next song it seems like “Everything is Sound,” whether the rhodes, horn, ukulele(?), and everything else. Everything needs balance “Cause we all need the darkness, to see the light/In our own eyes, come on, and sing it.” “Frank D Fixer” was known to fix anything: “He'd reinvent the part to fix the broken home/He restored the heart.” There is nothing to fix here; as it is one of his strongest and most distinctive songs off of the record, and not only because of the harmonica, or the fact that is a loving ode to his grandfather.                                                                                                                      Before I really listened to the song I thought it was one of those songs written in heartbreak, and it might be about a heart breaking, but only because it weeps while it asks “Who’s Thinking About You Now?” The strings along with a bluesy The next tracks will be left “In Your Hands” to decide if it is worth the listen,  and “Be Honest” with yourself; are they worth repeated listens? Listen to them at least once, or you may miss out on two of your new favorite songs. It’s not hard for me to love the final song off the traditional release. “The World as I See It” can be a conundrum, a paradox, and simultaneously invites and rejects those who live in it. The hidden track is just as good too. There is a demo version of the first single and a live version of the finale off of the traditional; which I definitely recommend you listen to because it gives you a little glimpse of what a Jason Mraz show is like. If I was not a fan of Jason Mraz, and said that no song could convert me, or make me respect him, all you would have to do is play this next bonus track; within a minute I would say “You Fckn Did It.” I heard the live version of ‘The Woman I Love," but to be honest “I Never Knew You.” I probably will not ever get to know you because you won’t let me, but on to the latter track. It is completely worth it listening to the full track, even the several minute intro, and would it be off to reference Incubus? My favorites: The Freedom Song, Living in the Moment, Frank D. Fixer, Who’s Thinking about You Now?, The World As I See It (both studio and live versions), You Fckn Did It, and I Never Knew You.