Grammy Nominees are in...

And does it come as a surprise to anyone that I'm completely thrilled about Jason Mraz's nomination for the song of the year Grammy?

Well, then you just don't know me very well.

I'm a little torn because Sara Bareilles is also nominated in that category, and it's (as far as I know) the only nomination for each of them, and she's definitely my girl, Sara is, but I think I just gotta go with Jason on this one. I've loved "I'm Yours" since the moment I downloaded the mp3 of someone's cheap live recording in 2004, and every version I've heard since has made me fall even deeper in love with Jason and with the song. He finally put it on an album because his fans kept asking him to. That's a great reason for whoever makes the Grammy choices to choose Jason-- this song isn't just song of the year, it's possibly song of his career. It has taken on a life of its own.

Way to go, J.
Will you be mine? 'Cause I'm yours.

Pour Some Sugar on Taylor

If I ever get to do a CMT Crossroads, I want it to be with Jason Mraz. The man is just inspiring.

There are two reasons I bring this up:

1. The countdown to Jason Mraz at the Myth in Minneapolis is TWELVE days. I'm so incredibly excited.

2. I just watched Crossroads with Taylor Swift and Def Leppard.

I am a huge Taylor fan and a sort of passive Def Leppard listener. I won't turn them off if I hear them on the radio (not that I ever listen to the radio, especially classic rock radio) but I'm not a huge believer either. Somehow, though, these two artists worked together. It was incredible.

And I have to say, Taylor has shown some major improvement since the last time I saw her perform live (I mean, never live in person, sad! but live on TV). I fell in love with her because for a sixteen year old, that girl could write a song. The vocals were never, in my opinion, anything to write home about, but the songs themselves along with the production on the first album were pretty damn good. So I became a believer and just accepted the fact that I was a fan of the songwriter, not the singer, if that makes any sense to you. I don't know if that girl has a vocal coach or if she's just finally coming into her own as a singer, or hey-- both, but tonight I became a little bit of a fan of Taylor, the singer. She still sounds like Taylor-- she always sounded like Taylor-- but she sounds more confident, more relaxed, LESS PITCHY, and More Than Just Alright For Me, Dawg.

And this concert was released JUST IN TIME for her brand new album release! What coincidental timing!

Fearless drops on Tuesday, friends. Go buy it.

As for me, I'll be waiting for a little extra money to come in, but it will be mine eventually.
Until then I'll be counting down the days til I can see Jason Mraz live in person, and then possibly til the day I do my very own Crossroads with The Geek in the Pink, The Wizard of Oohs and Aahs and Fa-la-las, The Curbside Prophet himself.

The Remedy is the experience...

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Part II

Jason Mraz.

Forgive me, for I must:
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Okay.

I already gave a bit of a preliminary impression of the album here but really didn't say too much about it. Now, after at least a hundred times listening through the entire album, I have to come back because I need to say

I LOVE THIS ALBUM.

I fell in love with Jason what was years ago now, but still long after most of his hardcore fans had already discovered him. No matter, because I obsessed with the best of them. I read his blog on his website (all the way back to the beginning), I took full advantage of the free downloads of his older EPs while they were still available, I memorized EVERY word on Waiting for My Rocket to Come. When I got the Life At the Eagles Ballroom cd/dvd, I fell even further in love. It was Rocket, but live, with more energy, less industry, and so much beautiful eye candy.

Mr. A-Z came along and I pre-ordered the special edition and everything else I could have possibly done short of buying myself a Jason Mraz Wardrobe (I believe a person should not wear artist gear unless said person has seen said artist live. Silly, maybe, but I just don't do it). And when I got it, I was honestly a bit disappointed. Sure, Mr. A-Z has it's high points- the more than fitting guitar "ticking" in "Clockwatching," "Geek in the Pink" in it's entirety, the last minute:30 of "Song for a Friend," the the ever intriguing tagline, "crazy is the forecast all week." But as an album, it didn't live up to what I expected to hear. That's not always a bad thing, but he really wasn't kidding when he said, "The Sophomore Slump is an uphill battle," in "Wordplay."

So I didn't run out to get WSWDWST. In fact, the one song on the album I knew, "I'm Yours," I already had in a few different forms- free downloads from this promotion or that, and as one of the bonus tracks for the pre-order of Mr. A-Z. So... I'm not really sure what inspired me to buy the CD actually. I just saw it on the shelves one day and thought maybe I'd take one more chance. After all, one slumpy sophomore album does not a bad musician make.

I listened through it once and wasn't sure what I thought. Better? Worse? Different? I kept listening, because I believe one cannot make a fair judgment on a set of music until one has listened over a number of times, acclimated to the style, comprehended lyrics and musical choices. The more I listened, the more I craved more.

And so, I have to say that this album is more like Rocket that I originally thought it was, and less like Mr. A-Z than I thought. Rather than go into comparisons of lyrics arrangements and attitudes and overall flow, though, I'm just going to tell you what I really think of We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

This album reflects a JM who is much more grown up. More aware of his surroundings. Less concerned with himself. It's spiritual in a way that feels completely universal. It has a completely "Seize the Day" attitude. It's reflective, it's therapeutic, and still manages to be fun and sexy-- and the sexy has a little less (though is not completely void) of that raunchiness we've come to expect from songs like "I'll Do Anything," "Dream Life of Rand McNally," and "O. Lover."

There was a time when that little bit of teenager who still lived in me (at 19) wanted more than anything to meet Mraz and fall in love. Somewhere along the line- after Mr. A-Z happened and his journals got preachy and space-case-ish- I not only got over the crush, but became repulsed by the idea I'd ever wanted that for myself. Now, a few years later, a little more perspective, and some real Mrazish music again, I'm thinking that while it's not what I want more than anything in the world, he has again tied himself with the likes of Milo Ventimiglia and Adam Brody (yes, I have a thing for actors as well...).

So that's something.

I highly recommend We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. It's lovely.
And it's packaged in an environmentally friendly way.
Yes, I think about stuff like that now.
:)

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Yes, when you read this you might hear some "Space Case!" whispers, but in his own way, he put into words exactly how I feel about my own songs sometimes.


These songs; take them. Share them. Own them. Make love to them. Cook to them. Eat with them. Buckle them up in the car and blast them during your busy city commute. Sleep with them on in the background. Send them to your dreams' ideal setting. Maybe steal a little of me for those moments. I love traveling. With the songs new life I'll imagine myself being spread around like a good flu.

I've said it in a million interviews already. The songs don't belong to me. They are bigger than I'll ever be and they'll certainly live a lot longer than I will. That's why this album is less about me and more life in general. It's an album about awesome times, celebrated by real people, sexy people, and waking up to smell their sweet sweat still lingering in the air.

Someone once passed me a stack of books and said enjoy. And when you are done, pass them on, for they do not belong to you. They belong to the world. And that is what I'm doing with these songs. They are of the world and for the world.

Even the personal songs about my family and factual love stories, I will not take credit for writing them. It is my duty to simply sit and listen to a frequency that anyone can hear; a station perhaps from space, commercial free, broadcast in the clouds. I don't ask. I sing-a-long to that station nonetheless, and happen to record the phrases and melodies from time to time, and still they are not my own. Maybe I am a receiver, but just an instrument in that sense. My body is just hardware. Some other wonderful force is playing the song.

Whatever "being" is to the human, whatever air is to the bird, or what water is to the fish. Whatever force decides to make our hearts beat and food digest. That mad divine scientist is who is responsible for these songs. They are a gift for all of us.

I am so grateful and so I project and we share the sweetness.

I am glad you're listening too. Enjoy the new album.

--Jason Mraz

I am enjoying the new album. It's lovely. It's definitely more Mr. A-Z than it is Rocket, but not quite as out there as A-Z was. A little less self-indulgent. Features Colbie Caillat and James Morrison, and a Jason who seems to have come back down to Earth--maybe not all the way, but who needs to plant their feet in the ground? Not me.

And on a slightly related note, his journal is actually fun to read again. Did he change or did I? Both, perhaps?

Like Johnny and June

New music to discuss at some point in the near future:

Michael Buble's Call Me Irresponsible

Jason Mraz's We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things
Phil Vassar's Prayer of a Common Man, revisited...

But for now, I just turned on country radio, something, as you know, I only do on occasion, and heard a song I'd been told to keep my ears open for: a song called Johnny and June.

The song is the latest from Heidi Newfield, former front girl of Trick Pony. I spent the entire song trying to figure out who that voice belonged to, and never really put my finger on it, because the style is definitely different than the Trick Pony style. However, it's a great song, and the lyrics are just... well... perfect.


Heidi Newfield: Johnny & June EPK

New Music!

First thoughts on Josh Ritter:

Reminds me of:
Billy Joel
The Beatles
Bob Dylan
Jason Mraz, but more mature
John Mayer
Rolling Stones
Motown
Radiohead
Bob Seger

That was on a first listen through the album. Not only that, but I was hearing things I don't really have the musical vocabulary to express. Most of what I was hearing is less than current, you'll notice, but the combination of these influences makes Josh's music unique and fresh. I highly recommend The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter.



First thoughts on Carrie Underwood:

I love Ashley Monroe, and I love her delicate little voice, but take an Ashley tune like "Flat on the Floor," and add Carrie's powerhouse vocals and you have pop-country perfection.

The rest of the album follows suit. I loved Some Hearts but Carnival Ride is, in my opinion, exponentially better. From the first listen, I just believe that this album is more Carrie, and less management and producers trying to create a strong first album. I'm not knocking that because obviously it worked, but this seems more authentic.

And as long as I've recently brought up the subject of covering songs and how I'm not usually a fan, she lent me another surprise with an impressive take on Randy Travis's "I Told You So," with Vince Gill on background vocals.

Carnival Ride is highly recommended as well.

(embedding is disabled, so this is the new single, All-American girl.)