Jason Mraz recently released his newest album entitled "Love is a Four Letter Word," which follows a series of singles and live albums all with a similar theme. This musical venture stays true to its title in that it celebrates all kinds of love.
The 33-year-old singer-songwriter explores universal love with a classic jazz meets folk-pop style, but the album falls short in its repetition. While it follows the theme nicely, touching upon love, family and the trials and tribulations of both, all songs seem to take on the same type of tune. Mraz has always been popular for mixing up the sounds of his albums, whether it is folk, jazz, rock or reggae. However, this album seems to lack his classic variety.
Regardless of the repetition listeners may or may not notice, the album has so far received mostly positive reviews. This much anticipated album seems worth the four-year-long wait Mraz put fans through. Mraz announced in 2009 to fans that he would begin recording for this album and it absolutely shows the time and effort put into it.
The track "93 Million Miles" is a strong part of the album as it talks mainly about family and brings a nice touch to its counterparts. Aside from the apparent theme of love, Mraz also sings about the joys of music which is portrayed in the song "Everything is Sound." This song is what many consider a typical Mraz track that features insightful lyrics and an up-beat jazzy sound.
"I Won't Give Up," the album's first single, is the epitome of love song for this album as it sings about the ups and downs of a relationship. A song similar to that is "Be Honest" which again stays true to the theme of love. Mraz sings, "you can make yourself available to anybody, cause every livin' person know you are a prize," and other similar lyrics of Facebook status variety.
As Mraz prepares for his upcoming "Tour is a Four Letter Word," the album is sure to entice listeners to purchase tickets. The album is exactly what fans were expecting and does its job in giving listeners what they wanted from the popular artist.
Ashley Duvall can be reached at ashley.duvall@student.shu.edu.
