Love Is A Four Letter Word Jason Mraz

• 1 The Freedom Song 03:59
• 2 Living In The Moment 03:55
• 3 The Woman I Love 03:10
• 4 Won't Give Up 04:01
• 5 5/6 05:57
• 6 Everything Is Sound 04:45
• 7 93 Million Miles 03:36
• 8 Frank D. Fixer 04:45
• 9 Who's Thinking About You Now? 04:47
• 10 In Your Hands 04:51
• 11 Be Honest [feat. Inara George] 03:25
• 12 The World As I See It 04:02
• 13 Hidden Track 04:29
• Total Runtime 55:42

Info for Love Is A Four Letter Word

Jason Mraz is a cheery looking chap. You’d be too, if your previous albums collected enough platinum discs to keep Chilean miners in fresh chupallas until the sun swells red and devours us all. But his glass-half-full demeanour doesn’t always translate on studio releases, which perhaps explains the extensive live catalogue he’s already built up. This fourth set, arriving four years after his last (We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.), is unlikely to convince newcomers of his chart-conquering talents, despite representing discernable evolution. He pushes himself vocally, the strain occasionally (and satisfyingly) evident; but any soul is marked only in an understated manner. Tracks with below-the-surface emotion, like I Won’t Give Up, are robbed of opportunities to engage intimately by heavy-handed production better suited to pop-country juggernauts roaring out of Nashville.

Mraz is a fine, polished performer, and his songs don’t lack heart. But these simple arrangements would perhaps work better if they retained a little roughness. Little sticks in the memory, despite effortlessly accomplished wordplay peppering 5/6 and The World as I See It – Mraz isn’t short of a neat lyrical turn or two. Both are swelled by strings which feel like afterthought constituents in the grand scheme of each piece. More stitched into Mraz’s acoustic fabric is the brass accompanying The Freedom Song, the opener’s upbeat tone lending its trumpet and trombone bursts some sunshine synchronicity.

Having reached number two in the UK and USA, and gone one better in Canada, the commercial credentials of Love Is a Four Letter Word are indisputable. But for a listener who’s only been aware of Mraz by reputation, this is no instant-fix point of entry. It relies on past experiences, knowledge of what the artist is capable of rather than anything he delivers with consistency across these 12 songs. It represents progression on a career path that might’ve otherwise struck a cul-de-sac, and fans will acknowledge that. But a few stray fireworks amongst these controlled displays would have lent Mraz’s wide, optimistic horizons some additional colour and heat. (Mike Diver, BBC Music)

Produced by multiple GRAMMY® Award-winner Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, Christina Perri, My Morning Jacket)

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. comes six years after Jason Mraz saw his major label debut, “Waiting for My Rocket to Come” explode off the success of such hits as “Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” “You & I Both” and “Curbside Prophet.” Shortly thereafter, he returned with his Grammy-nominated, critically acclaimed Mr. A-Z, which continued his chart success with “Wordplay.” Throughout, his reputation as a tremendous live act soared.

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. earned three Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “I’m Yours.” The album, Mraz’s most self-assured effort to date, is characterized by songs wrapped in clever, observant lyrics and strong, engaging pop melodies, all inspired by “gratitude.”

“I’m Yours” is a warm breeze of a song about generosity, surrender, and openness to life’s infinite possibilities set to a lilting island tempo. A demo of the song sneaked into the world a few years prior to the current release and developed a cult following. “I considered it my happy little hippy song and wanted to share it even when it was fresh and new. Over the years as we performed it live, it became the song people sang along to at the loudest volume. And they sang it to each other. That’s when I realized I needed to give it a home on this new record.”

“I’m Yours” has since been certified 4x platinum and made history as the first song ever to top the charts at four pop radio formats: Hot AC, CHR/Top 40, Triple A, and AC. Propelled by the success of the song, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. has been a breakthrough album internationally for Mraz. More than 2.5 million albums have been sold worldwide. In addition to being certified platinum here in the U.S., the album has also received platinum certification awards in France, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong, triple platinum status in Korea, double platinum in Australia, with gold records in the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Another highlight on the album is “Lucky,” a simple, endearing duet with platinum singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. “I got word that she was a fan and might consider working together, so I immediately demanded her phone number,” Mraz says with a laugh. He sent her segments of a love song that she and her guitarist Timothy Fagan completed.

Caillat then joined Mraz in a London studio where he recorded the album with producer Martin Terefe, best known for his work with Coldplay and James Morrison (who guests on the intricate “Details in the Fabric”).

Terefe, along with songwriter/pianist Sasha Skarbek (who co-wrote James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”), also played a hand in co-writing some of the tunes with Mraz, including “Love for a Child,” a searing autobiographical tale of Mraz’s parents’ split when he was five. “I don’t usually care to share the crafting of the lyrics,” Mraz confesses. “Sasha and Martin did a wonderful job introducing me to melodies and textures, while pushing me to sing my instincts. In the case of ‘Love for a Child,’ my instincts kept leading me back to getting complete with my parents. I was nervous about it as it isn’t your typical love song, but I think that’s why it resonates with so many. Whether or not you’re in a relationship, we all have one with our parents. And until you acknowledge them, it’s hard to practice unconditional love or act with integrity in the rest of your life.”

While Mraz and Terefe deliberately kept the music stripped down, they added flourishes that distinguish “We Sing” from standard pop fare, including a gospel choir on “Live High,” and operatic embellishments and a children’s chorale on “Coyotes.”

“Martin is an extraordinary artist,” Mraz says. “He holds space for whatever I choose or choose not to express. Putting his producer image aside, he supports the artist. So in my case, both fervency and humor get to be represented. A fine example is his willingness to bookend “Details in the Fabric” with the ridiculous voice mail messages left on my phone one afternoon by my good friend/writing partner Bushwalla.”

The album takes its title from a piece of art by Glasgow-based visual humorist David Shrigley that Mraz saw in Scotland while traveling.

“We are a language based species,” hums Mraz, “So anything that comes out of our mouths is our song. Our movement is our dance. And anything we might take for granted, well, consider it stolen moment.”

For an artist who is so well known for his clever, inspired way with words, it should come as no surprise that many of the songs for “We Sing” were born from a songwriting game he plays with a number of other artists, including noted Texas-based songwriters Billy Harvey & Bob Schneider. “Bob and company will give me a word or a phrase, and I’ll have to turn that info into a song and email it to everyone else who’s playing.” The impressive verbal torrent that spills forth on “Dynamo of Volition” that once again shows Mraz’s unmatched ability to sing at the speed of sound, came from being tasked to use the phrase “blind man’s bike.” Similarly, “Coyotes,” “Butterfly,” and “Lucky” all sprung to life after starting from songwriting challenges. “The game is like a support group. It’s a way for writers to encourage each other, to stay active in their craft and not get too heady and where their song might end up.”

Mraz’s songwriting talents were recently recognized when he received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s esteemed “Hal David Starlight Award” at the organization’s 40th anniversary gala. The award—given to gifted songwriters who are making an impact in the music industry via their original songs—has previously gone to such artists as Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, and John Legend.

“For me, music is the closest I may ever get to realizing what God is. (Music) is an awesome invisible force that gets under your skin, makes you dance and has the power to transform you. I’m the most at ease when I’m wrapped up in a song or deep inside the mania of the creative process. Success to me is the exploration of sound and vibrations and the freedom that exists when you dwell in those spaces. Awards and recognition are always encouraging and nice to receive, but they’re just a pageant show compared to the real reward that music gives. Therefore, I’ll be writing songs and setting stages for a long time to come. I’m hooked on it. And I’m grateful.”

Booklet for Love Is A Four Letter Word