I've talked about Jason Mraz on this blog before, in fact 2 weeks ago I saw him in concert for the umpteenth time. Prior to his unstoppable single I'm Yours, he's always been sort of a fly-under-the-radar musician, popular with his rabid fans, but not really a mainstream radio/household name kinda musician. Well, oh how far Jason has come. Let me list the ways in which I'm Yours has put him in the music record books:
* At 70 weeks on the chart, it is officially the longest running song on Billboard Top 100 history
* It is the only track to reach #1 on 4 radio charts: Mainstream Top 40/Pop Songs, Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, and Triple A.
* Ranks as the 3rd best selling digital song EVER (4.4 million downloads)
As for his success, Mr. Mraz says: "I found out about six weeks ago that the song was on its way to breaking this record. I was moved. ... I'm still blown away -- humbled by the success of my happy little hippie song." I LOVE YOU.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Yay Jason Mraz!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
[Mixtape] Jason Mraz
I have seen Jason Mraz countless times in concert, 3 of which happened this year. I reviewed the first one, and last weekend, I went to see him two nights in a row, which was nothing short of amazing. Jason Mraz is one of those artists where people either don't know him at all, or they kinda sorta know him as that guy who sings..."I'm Yours." I want EVERYONE to know who he is, but I also don't want him to become too big, cause I like that only the cool cats know and love him. My friends Jeannine and Christina are like in love with him and want to marry him (FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!), where as I would just like to quit my job and follow him around on tour (you know, in a non-skanky, non-groupie kinda way). For you newbies and fans alike, I put together a playlist of songs, with input from the superfans as well. These songs are a must. And make sure to check out live versions of his songs, they're even more awesome than recorded versions.
1) Plane - My absolute FAVORITE song of his. Off his second album, Mr.A-Z, which as a whole is my least fave, but has some of my favorite songs of his. So heartwrenching, and a tour-de-force of vocals. I think it's a song that showcases his vocal range, and while the lyrics are kind of bewildering (well, I think they are), he proves that he is a master of wordplay.
2) You and I Both - Probably one of his most popular songs, the second single off his debut album Waiting for My Rocket To Come. Jeannine, Christina, and I all really love this song. Really catchy, really sweet, and one of my favorites for him to perform.
3) The Remedy (I Won't Worry) - This is the first single he ever released, and the song that made me want to get his album, which turned out to be one of the better decisions I made. The song is about his friend who got struck with cancer, and how that changed Mraz's outlook on life. He sang this at the recent shows we went to, and it's one of my favorites to sing along to at his concerts.
4) Tonight, Not Again - Christina's favorite song for Mraz to sing live. She thinks its THE song that shows off his amazing live skills and vocal range the best. Can't disagree! Christina's favorite lyrics ever: "It's when you cry just a little but you laugh in the middle that you've made it"
5) A Beautiful Mess - The closing song off his third and most recent album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things, a really beautiful ballad. Jeannine's favorite song at the moment. He closed the second show we went to with this one, and it's really beautiful.
Also check out: O.Lover, Geek in the Pink, Make it Mine, Live High, 0% Interest, Song for a Friend, and God Moves Through You.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
These Four Things I Know Are True
1) Don't ever say out loud, to your parents, joking or not, that they're embarrassing. I had to put up with 40 minutes of passive-aggressive weird behavior from them as a result. I didn't really mean it, per se, but I wasn't completely kidding either (hey I know I'm not the only one who feels this way). Nonetheless, they were offended, and I felt bad. Parents have feelings too.
2) My hair and fashion inspiration is Katie Holmes, minus the weird rolled up jeans look she was rocking for awhile. On occasional good days, my hair does look like this. Most days however, this is what my hair does. I guess it could be worse.
3) Jason Mraz is the best musician to see live, and I don't say that lightly. He puts on the most awesome, entertaining shows, so much so that I saw him 2 consecutive nights in a row this past weekend and I loved every minute of it. Mraz mixtape coming up later this week, but for now, enjoy this and this and this.
4) Britney's Womanizer music video debuted on Friday. I like it, but it's kind of reminiscent of Toxic, which I LOVE. But, nonetheless, she is looking good (cue, gratuitous nude shots), and continuing onward with the uphill battle that is her comeback. YESSS.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Jason Mraz Concert Review
Jason Mraz - Music, Magic, Make Peace tour with Bushwalla, Justin Kredible, and the MakePeace Brothers. Sunday, April 13, 2008. 7PM at World Live Cafe, Philly PA.
If you are a music lover, and you like live performances, the one thing you must do in your lifetime is see Jason Mraz live. I'm not kidding when I say he is one of the best artists to see live, and his strength as an artist really lies in the shows he puts on. I've seen him about 3 times now, and I have to say, the April 2008 Music, Magic, Make Peace tour is my favorite show of his. Tickets are probably hard to come by at this point because he literally sells out every show within minutes of them going on sale, but if you do get a chance to catch it, you're in for an awesome time.
Opening Acts:
The MakePeace Brothers opened the show, and they are a folk quartet (though they were a trio this particular night) of real-life brothers who are all very cute. Their music was good, and they played 6 songs, including the inspiring "Hero," which you can check out on their website. The very entertaining freestyle acoustic rapper Bushwalla performed 7 songs, and having been on tour with Mraz before, much of the audience was very familiar with him and his songs.
In between all acts, the magician-comedian Justin Kredible performed little vignettes of magic/comedy. He was actually really good, and kept his routine interactive by using audience members in his acts. He is also very cute, and one of the highlights of the night was getting to meet him. This whole comic routine between sets was actually a really good idea, as it kept the flow of the show going, and the audience engaged in those lagging times.
Jason Mraz:
After what seemed like hours of waiting and people pushing us around (it was a standing room venue), Mraz finally took the stage with his trusty sidekick Toca. He opened with Plane, one of my faves from the Mr. A-Z album, and minus Geek in the Pink and a slew of other songs from the olden days, he mostly stuck to new material from his upcoming album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (out 5/13). Even though he said he was congested, he sounded amazing, and of course, he is the king of improvisation, which he liberally exercised in his set. He was chatty and charming, and what I love about him is that he's still incredibly gracious and humbled by people coming to see him. He played about 14 songs in total, and when he launched into I'm Yours towards the end, we all went crazy. 
And after that long set (about an hour and a half), he came back to perform an encore with everybody from his tour, which was awesome in itself, but after that fun performance ended, he stuck around to perform You and I Both solo, which the entire audience sang along to. Mraz, his guitar, the audience's energy= AMAZING. My boy is back!!!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Spotlight: Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
Jason Mraz is one of my favorite artists, and probably one of the most awesome artists to see live. His originality and talent has made him one of the most refreshing artists of today, and I have been waiting patiently for the release of his third studio album, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (due out 5/20/08). The first single off that album is called I'm Yours, but as die-hard Mraz fans know, it's a single that has been floating around the Internet for years. Originally recorded as a demo for his second studio album Mr. A-Z, the song was leaked, and became a hit without getting a single radio play. No wonder, I'm Yours is mellow (Jack Johnson-esque), catchy, radio-friendly, and beautiful.
The older, leaked single is slightly different from the single that is available right now on iTunes, Amazon.com, and Zune Marketplace, because he recorded different takes of it. I happen to LOVE the new version. Here is the recently released music video for I'm Yours, doesn't it just make you want to take a nice relaxing vaycay somewhere??
