Love Is A Four Letter Word

Jason Mraz’s fourth studio album, Love Is A Four Letter Word, was finally released on Tuesday April 17, 2012. His other studio albums include Waiting For My Rocket To Come (2002), Mr. A-Z (2005), and We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008).

I have been obsessed with Mraz since I accidently bought We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. in 2009. I went to Walmart looking for Justin Nozuka’s Holly, but I didn’t know what the cover looked like and I didn’t know what the name of the CD was. I also hadn’t heard “I’m Yours” yet. So, when I picked up Mraz’s CD, I thought “Maybe this is it,” and bought it. When I put the music on my iTunes, I was completely shocked when it wasn’t Nozuka. But I was not disappointed. I fell in love with Mraz’s soothing voice and witty lyrics. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I own all of Mraz’s released CDs (studio and live); so, when he announced the release of Love Is A Four Letter Word back in February I (1) freaked out! (2) burned the date into my brain, and (3) knew that I had to buy it. Although I haven’t bought the CD yet (why did it have to come out on a Tuesday when I can’t go to Walmart until Saturday?!), I have been listening to it on Spotify over and over and over…

I must say that I am thoroughly impressed with Mraz’s most recent creation. Mr. A-Z is my favorite CD of all-time. Not even We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. tops it. And I was kind of skeptical about Love Is A Four Letter Word because I didn’t think that he would be able to get back to his younger sound. I stand before you (metaphorically, of course) to tell you that I was dead wrong. I don’t know if I can say that this album tops Mr. A-Z (maybe nothing can), but he definitely did something to get back to his roots.

I’m sure most of you have heard his newest single “I Won’t Give Up.” I always say that the single is the song on an album that has the widest appeal; but it’s never the best song on the album. Not to say that “I Won’t Give Up” isn’t good. I love it. It’s one of the most inspiring love songs I’ve ever heard. I learned all of the lyrics the first day I heard the song (which means I really love the song). But this album offers so much more than just cutesy love songs.

“The Freedom Song” is the first and one of the best songs on the album. It’s a great way to start the album because the tempo and rhythm is very reminiscent of his older songs, but the lyrics are more mature (side note: I don’t think he wrote the song, but he picked it; so, it shows good taste).

“Who’s Thinking About You Now?” is a much slower, powerful song. The speaker is explaining to his love that he wants nothing more than to be there for her. The song draws you in with the enchanting beat and Mraz’s characteristic wordplay.

“Be Honest” is probably the most underrated song the album. It’s very simple and sounds like it would fit in perfectly with the songs from “Waiting For My Rocket To Come,” which means it’s less mature than the other songs. However, the immaturity works for the song because of its simplicity. I definitely appreciate that Mraz reverted to his much older style for this song.

Jason Mraz is an incredible artist. His outstanding wordplay does not leave anything to be desired, the rhythm and tempo of each song is appropriate, and the topic of each song is very uplifting. I don’t know how this man manages to stay so positive (I’m thinking some form of herbal refreshment ::wink wink:: ), but makes for great music. I will be listening to this CD on repeat from now until the end of time.

Any other Jason Mraz fans out there? Please let me know! I would love to hear from you.