JASON MRAZ “Beautiful Mess – Live on Earth” (CD Review)

Written by Greg VictorcloseAuthor: Greg Victor Name: Greg Victor
Email: Greg@parcbench.com
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About: Greg Victor (Parcbench Culture Editor) is a historian, pop culture critic, and theatrical dramaturg and has stage managed theatrical productions on Broadway and on tour, including Billy Joel's "Movin' Out", Monty Python's "Spamalot" and more.See Authors Posts (97) on November 16, 2009

*** ½ (out of 4 stars)

Jason Mraz does what he does best when he is doing it live onstage. He is as charismatic as he is talented. He is breezy, jazzy, chatty and as lively as an aspiring American Idol contestant during the first round… except that Jason Mraz has consistently perfect pitch.

Last year Jason received three Grammy Award nominations and sold over 3 million copies of his break-out album “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.” The new release is the long awaited follow-up to that platinum album. “Beautiful Mess – Live on Earth” covers all the music territory you’d get at one of his concerts. Hit after hit are here for you to rediscover, including a live version of his number one single “I’m Yours.”

Nine of the fifteen tracks here revisit the previous smash album, so there’s not a lot of new music. Ok, there’s not even a little new music here. But if you are on of Jason Mraz’s fans who can’t get enough of “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things”, you will love getting the chance to hear them live. The highlight of the set is the stellar performance he gives “Lucky,” which gets a special guest performance from Colbie Caillat. Another favorite of mine is one of the few new tracks – the fun remake of Lionel Richie’s “Al Night Long.”

I have a request to record producers putting together live albums in the future: How about a few fewer seconds of the live audience on the CD? You don’t have to prove to me how much the crowd loved the show by recording their applause going on and on and on. A live album works best on the iPod shuffle when the track starts immediately with the first note of the song, and when it ends with the last note of the song.

And while I’m at it, how about waiting until an artist has a few more albums out before putting out a “Live” or “Greatest Hits” album? I don’t mind so much in this case, but I fear a trend. Britney Spears’s second “Greatest Hits” albums that just came out, for example. Shouldn’t the hits actually be “Greatest”?

Look for Jason to continue his meteoric rise toward the top of Pop Music, especially since he was just nominated for a 2009 American Music Award as “Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.” (The show is on ABC on Sunday, November 22.)