"Who is this Jason Marz guy??!!"

That was my first reaction upon seeing the name Jason Mraz mentioned repeatedly in connection with other modern-day, acoustic guitar slinging singer/songwriters such as Dave Matthews and John Mayer. Perhaps it was the weird surname that was giving me a temporary case of dyslexia in order to make it more pronounceable, or perhaps it was the simple association with those other guys that was formed in my mind... but I had to know what this guy sounded like. I don't usually investigate an artist based on "sounds like" assumptions, because those assumptions generally aren't correct. And I hadn't heard a note of Jason's music on the radio (because I never listen to it any more)... but something told me I'd better check this guy out or miss the boat. I'm glad I did.

Thankfully, there's more to Jason's major label debut, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, than I expected. With all the comparisons being tossed around, I fully expected another slightly growly, slightly squeaky singer with a few infamous songs about sex under his belt, and perhaps some lesser known but more mature ruminations on life to be found in the meantime. What I wasn't prepared for was the stylistic variety that Jason throws into his music. In between the expected folk/rock tunes and wistful ballads, you'll find dashes of reggae, lounge, jazz, and a few hip-hop styled phrasings just to keep you on your toes. To top it all off, the guy has a golden voice that seems tailor-made for singing show tunes (thankfully, he spares us from that), more akin to Christian crooner Kevin Max than the aforementioned Mayer and Matthews. (Must be an "M" thing.) It's one of those voices that melts all over the music like your favorite cheese, and yet Jason mostly avoids settling for the easy way out (i.e. sappy ballads to make the girlies swoon). The guy's voice bounces all over many of these tunes as if his tongue had some form of ADD.

Of course, none of this would matter if his lyrics were stupid, and thankfully, there's enough wit here to be passed around the table once and keep the whole family coming back for seconds and thirds. While the album sticks mostly to relationships and general "sunny outlook on life" type songs as its source of subject matter, it's what he does with the events in his life and the observations he makes on those events that makes all the difference. Especially on some of the faster songs, there are plenty of clever rhymes and unexpected turns of phrase that will make you scramble for your lyric sheet (which, frustratingly, isn't included) - it's always enunciated clearly, but sometimes it just flies by too fast to take it all in at once. This works in Jason's favor, adding layers of meaning and relatability even after you think you've got the main point of the song down.

To be fair, there are a few weaknesses. The album's pacing seems a little funny at first, not really hitting its stride until a few tracks in - though it stays there for quite a while after that. There are times when Jason's lyrics come off as egotistical (although this may be in a self-parodying sort of way), or when he makes reference to something off-topic that really doesn't help the song. But this is all fairly minor (and highly subjective) compared to the overall effectiveness of Jason's attempt to keep it unpredictable. The backlog of songs that he wrote and recorded before getting his big break serves as a testament that he's not just another pretty face trying to get by on a couple of catchy radio hits. This man's clearly paid his dues.

You and I Both
See, I'm all about them words
Over numbers, unencumbered numbered words
Hundreds of pages, pages, pages...
It's highly ironic that this album starts off with Jason's most unassuming, formulaic pop tune. It starts off urgently enough with a great vocal hook - "Was it you who said the words that things would happen, but not to me?" - which is always a great way to open an album, since it gives off a sense of urgency, but that sense is quickly subdued by the easygoing feel of the song. It's a light, mid-tempo number that gives Jason a chance to reminisce on a lost love and all of the words that they shared in conversation with each other, many of them becoming self-fulfilling prophecies. It's a good enough intro to Jason's smooth-as-ice vocal style, his occasional slips into falsetto and scat singing, and his clever wordplay, but it's not really the "wow" of an opener that you might expect. Then again, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on the song - it would likely be a highlight on most singer/songwriter albums these days. And it's better to start off this way than to open with your most aggressive song and then have nothing else on the disc that matches it.

I'll Do Anything
Are you in the mood for some dude
Are you in the mood to be subdued
Or would you rather just mingle?
The momentum of the CD begins to build slowly as a bouncy reggae beat kicks in and Jason begins to lay some smooth rhymes over it. Remember that he's singing, all of this, not rapping. But the verses of this song, which describe his amusing but laughable attempts to woo a girl with his words, would go equally well into a goofy white-boy rap song. He's basically telling a girl that he's a spontaneous guy and he'll do anything in order to take her home with him. Odd references to things like The Jetsons and Kool & the Gang will definitely cause your ears to perk up if the first song had you expecting an album full of relaxing, sensitive-guy-with-a-guitar ballads.

The Remedy (I Won't Worry)
Something on the surface, it kind of makes me nervous
Who says that you deserve this, and what kind of god would serve this?
The album's lead single is definitely one of Jason's most brilliant moments. It's serious and lighthearted all at once, thanks in no small part to the verses that spill quickly and effortlessly from his lips. Much like the Barenaked Ladies' "One Week", this is one of those songs that takes you on an ADD-inspired journey through God knows what, associating one phrase with another, but returning to the main point just in time for the chorus. That chorus is a very life-affirming one, urging us that "the remedy" to all of our worries is simply to live life and not pay them any mind. It's so simple it's stupid, but it's something worth remembering in a post 9/11 where everyone is "Uncovering the ways to plan the next big attack/They were counting down the ways to stab a brother in the/Be right back after this." I love how Jason's lyrics turn unexpected corners like that. If the repeated line "If you gots the poison, I gots the remedy" isn't enough to hook you, the fact that you're getting two catchy choruses for the price of one certainly should! Add in some synths that are bubbly without being overbearing and killing the organic feel of the song, and it's no wonder that this song is slowly making Jason a household name.

Who Needs Shelter
Good day sunlight, I'd like to say how truly bright you are
You don't know me, but I know you, you're my favorite star...
Jason shifts gears here for a wonderfully folksy ballad, the kind you might've expected more of on this record. The sound of the celesta and mandolin really help Jason to paint a picture of the sun rising over a sleepy world, a world that makes the average working class Joe want to hit snooze and hide under the covers. But not Jason. He's apparently one of those happy, perky, and annoying people in the morning, happy to greet a new day. You can't help but feel his optimism here, though it is slightly marred by the second verse, where a series of clever rhymes about day shifts and relationship culminates in the line "You know it's only a worthless piece of sh*t." Great song, other than that one line.

Curbside Prophet
Well you're never gonna guess where I've been, been, been
And I have no regrets that I bet my whole checking account
Because it all amounts to nothing up in the end...
Jason silliest song - and likely his mission statement - is up next, riding along a tasty, homegrown, banjo-plucking, bass-slapping groove that is basically completely inappropriate as the background to a rap song. But that's sort of what Jason makes out of it, his voice bouncing along through the repeating chord sequence as he attempts to describe his transient lifestyle, sitting on the corner dispensing advice to anyone who would pass by and offer him a quarter in exchange. That's the image I get in my head when listening to this song. It's not too different from something Beck or Riley Armstrong might have come up with, actually. Jason definitely adds all of the right touches to this song, including a barking dog, a cameo appearance by a fly girl who interjects "Yo, that kid is crazy!", only to rhyme it with the self-indulgent, hip-hop-inspired name drop: "What's up with M-R-A-Z?" And then he goes off about how the world his different because they changed the color of his traffic signs. Yeah, I noticed that too. But what's that have to do with anything? Oh well, I shouldn't think too hard about this one, or else I might start snickering like Beavis and Butthead at the refrain: "I'm just a curbside prophet with my hand in my pocket and I'm waiting for my rocket to come."

Sleep All Day
She said, what would your mother think
And how would your father react, oh Lord
Would he take it all back, what they've done...
This is one of those songs that sums up Jason's style perfectly - musically easygoing, vocally intense, lyrically complex. It has a very airy, loungy feel, which gives Jason enough leeway to bounce all over it like a hyperactive kid. This one's actually a bit similar to John Mayer's "83", though the references to Jason's childhood are a little more veiled here. I'm not really sure what it's about - laziness, or growing old, or what? But it's got quite a few quotable lines, especially the wise words from Jason's old man: "If all is grounded, you should go make a mountain out of it." Perfect song for a sleepy Sunday afternoon.

Too Much Food
You can say that I'm one curly fry in the box of the regular
Messing with the flavor, oh the flavor that you savor
Saving me for last, but you better not eat me at all...
Jason turns up the level of aggression just a tad here, bringing electric guitars to a more prominent position but still keeping things as bouncy and catchy as ever. This one's extremely Barenaked Ladies-inspired, what with all of the lines about food and wanting to be different. Wit just abounds as Jason describes himself in fast food terminology, once again dropping mad rhymes like there's no tomorrow. It's basically his way of telling the world that he can only handle so many people telling him what to do and who to be at the same time. His attitude here is much live that of Dave Matthews in the song "Tripping Billies" - I guess you could say Jason's philosophy is "Eat drink, and be wacky."

Absolutely Zero
Hey, what's that you say?
You're not blaming me for anything, well that's great...
The album's second ballad is a show stopper that actually betrays Jason's theatre background. The level of melodrama here is just off the scale, taking full advantage of as many gut-wrenching chord changes as it can, and even in slow mode, none of this prevents Jason from being clever. This one's about a one-night stand, and though Dave Matthews might have Jason beat in the musical department with "Say Goodbye" regarding songs on this topic, Jason's the winner in terms of handling the subject maturely, because he's realizing that one night of weakness has completely screwed up his friendship with the girl. You can hear the guilt and sadness in his voice as the two of them wrestle over whether they should take responsibility or stay quiet and let the other person take "the blame", which is treated as a tangible object to be bought and sold. Jason's shocked about the whole thing, because - here's a true moment of vulnerability - "Of course I didn't know that this would happen to me/Not that easy." The guy may love sex, but he's realizing it has its consequences. And in the midst of it all, he's still clever enough to throw in subtle double meanings, like using the phrase "easy does it" to bridge the two lines "I don't break that easy/Does it fade away?"

On Love, In Sadness
We just lay awake in lust, and rust in the rain
And pour over everything we say we trust...
This one breaks in like a runaway train with its ominous minor chords and its fast-paced guitar strum, and then it shifts gears into a mostly major key melody that once again showcases Jason's ability to jump all over the place. He hardly takes a break through this entire whirlwind of a song, and it's interesting, since the lyrics and title seem to indicate the kind of weepy breakup ballad you'd expect from some emo band. There's a good balance of fatalism and optimism here, and while the subject matter seems to be romantic love, Jason does throw in a curious line about finding God. Food for thought for those of you who have already deciphered the latest Dave Matthews Band album, I guess. I love his one-word-at-a-time declaration that "Love - will - not - be - lost - on - me", which leads right up the abrupt ending of the song.

No Stopping Us
Should I address all my letters to the well-to-be?
Should I say return to sender is just a well-be-done
Should I better not take it so personally
That all the good loving is never received?
Jason tries on another hat here and takes more of a jazzy route, incorporating a classy horn section to give this song a sort of "stepping out for a night on the town" feel. Once again, optimism is in full play as he asks a friend what he's got to do to cheer him/her up - this includes the somewhat puzzling pair of lines "Would it take a half a pound to roll a joint for you?/Would it take some hailing Marys full of grace to get my sound to you?" That aside, I love the way he can elongate a single word like "try" or "job" into many, many syllables on this one. It's a show tune for sure, but for once in my life, that doesn't seem to bother me.

The Boy's Gone
What becomes of a day for those who rage against it?
And who will sum up the phrase for all left standing round in it?
Here Jason returns to a loungier sort of feel for the album's last ballad. The subject here seems to be Jason ruminating on the loss of his innocence or his childhood, and waxing philosophical about the end of his life and the outcome of his death - this one again causes him to bridge the gap between Mayer and Matthews rather well. I'll admit that I overlooked this song quite a bit at first just because it didn't have as much of Jason's usual bounciness or musical trickery to it, but I'm starting to warm up to it more now. It just takes some time to fully appreciate it amidst all of the show-stoppers surrounding it.

Tonight, Not Again
It's when you cry just a little, but you laugh in the middle
That you've made it...
Jason chooses to employ a similar technique to "On Love, In Sadness" as he closes out the album - this one's another great exercise in taking his more melancholy side and speeding it up a bit. Here he's dealing with the surprise of being suddenly left alone, in between relationships, on a cold and dark evening with nothing to do. And he's itching to get on with things, to go out and snag the next pretty girl, but as he starts to panic and think "not again, not again", he starts to realize that actually, the solitude ain't that bad. Towards the end of the song, the cold, isolated mood breaks out into a one-man party that's got Jason doing vocal cartwheels again as he manipulates the word "lovely" to his pleasing. It's an ending that sort of leaves the album hanging - an impressive finale even though it doesn't quite feel like it should be the finale.

I'm really impressed with Jason's work here. I've got a ton of albums in my ever-growing library by artists who had to earn my respect over time, but Jason's one of those who just busted in with a dorky smile on his face and a song to sing, and he won me over in no time flat. Some folks who are into the more wacky, "novelty" aspect of Jason's music are probably going to get bored with this disc after "Too Much Food" is over with, but those who don't mind that the guy can be witty and goofy while baring his soul at the same time will find a lot to love here. On either side of the coin, the vocal performance displayed here is highly entertaining, even if that means the instrumental talent often has to take a backseat to it. I don't mind so much. Other than the strange pacing at the beginning of the album, a few not-so-choice words and phrases in a few of the songs, and the occasional moment where the production seems thin, I'd have to say that Waiting for My Rocket to Come is a blast of an album. I recommend getting it while you can still get it cheap - if this guy plays his cards right, he could soon be as big as that other guy whose initials are J.M.

ALBUM WORTH:
You and I Both $1.50
I'll Do Anything $1.50
The Remedy (I Won't Worry) $2
Who Needs Shelter $1.50
Curbside Prophet $1.50
Sleep All Day $1.50
Too Much Food $2
Absolutely Zero $2
On Love, In Sadness $2
No Stopping Us $1
The Boy's Gone $1
Tonight, Not Again $1.50
TOTAL: $19

Website: http://www.jasonmraz.com
(Lyrics courtesy of http://www.curbsideprophet.com)

Great Music to Play While: Selling the blame on Ebay.

Recommended: Yes