We Sing We Dance We Steal Things - Jason Mraz (Warner)

CD review If Mraz can temper the sweetness with a more of a bitter edge, his next album might be worth more of a listen, says Ella Stimson.

Bipolar: Mraz's third album draws on two distinct sets of influences.

If you've ever wondered what kind of man Alanis Morrisette would chose as a supporting act, here's an answer: Jason Mraz. Mraz, who opened for the Canadian singer during her 2005 Jagged Little Pill Acoustic tour, and has been scoring hits with his sensitive, slightly insipid, radio-friendly music since his 2002 album Waiting For My Rocket to Come. We Sing We Dance We Steal Things is his third album, and draws on two distinct sets of influences. Some songs, like I'm Yours and Lucky, his sweet duet with Colbie Caillat, put him firmly in Jack Johnson's camp of laid-back surfer rock. Others - Butterfly and Coyote - seem to be aiming for a slice of Justin Timberlake's airplay. It all makes for a slightly disjointed-sounding album. Much of the time, Mraz's bouncy tunes and upbeat lyrics ("hold your own, go your own way, everything will be fine", he sings in Details in the Fabric) overflow with life-affirming optimism, so it's ironic that the two best songs are about things going wrong. Love for a Child tells the story of a divorce from a child's point of view, and A Beautiful Mess, the final song on the album, is a paean to a dysfunctional relationship that builds to a gorgeous choral refrain. It suggests that if Mraz can temper the sweetness with a little more of a bitter edge, his next album might be worth more of a listen.
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