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| We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things | 
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| Artist: Jason Mraz
Label: Atlantic
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $9.98
You Save: $9.00 (47%)
New (49) Used (9) from $9.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 34
Format: Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.3
MPN: 448508
UPC: 075678994753
EAN: 0075678994753
ASIN: B0013FNC38
Release Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Pretty Pop!! May 29, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I first heard of Jason Mraz some five years ago when I heard his catchy Pop ditty "The remedy" which to borrow from the title of another hit of his featured very clever "Wordplay".
"We sing, we dance, we steal things" is his third studio album and his first I've owned. It reminds me of the catchy, well written Pop music of the Seventies, with a spare clean sound.
Lead-off single "I'm yours" is a nice folky guitar driven song with Ska influences and some skat singing. Opening cut "Make it mine" is a sunny upbeat song with a great horn section which just makes me feel good.
"Lucky" is another outstanding Beatles-esque guitar ballad and it is a duet with Colbie Caillat. Their voices harmonize so well together. The albums other duet features UK soulful crooner James Morrison; the spare acoustic "Details in the fabric" with lovely strings. Beautiful!
Other standouts are the upbeat and groovy "Butterfly", the lovely and groovy "Coyote" (with a nice children's backing choir and some operatic flourishes adding to the drama - my favourite), the soulful/jazzy ballad "Only human", the disco/funk-tinged "The dynamo of volition" (with a spitfire vocal delivery, it wouldn't sound out of place on a Jamiroquai CD), the Beatles/Elton John sounding piano ballad "If it kills me", and the tender soulful closing ballad "A beautiful mess".
This is such a catchy and classy CD. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who appreciates good music.
 Not as Good as the Others May 19, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Ever since I first heard Jason Mraz in 2003, his songs have been played more on my computer/cd player/ipod than any other artist - over and over and over. He writes some incredible stuff, and his voice is one of if not the absolute best out there. I immediately fell in love with "Waiting for my Rocket to Come." A few years later, I was also very satisfied with "Mr.A-Z", although it felt a little over-produced at times.
I had heard mixed reviews about "We Sing..." before it was released, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I've had the album for a few days now and have gone through it many times getting acquainted with the songs, trying to give them a chance to catch on in my head. I've had a lot of trouble putting my finger on it, but it generally just doesn't grab me like his first two albums do. There are only a few songs that compel me to hit repeat - "Lucky", "Coyotes", "If it Kills Me", and "I'm Yours" (obviously, any Mraz fan already loves this one). The rest of the songs just don't stand out to me like his songs usually do.
The album as a whole is a lot more mellow, far too much so I think. I miss the upbeat feels of "Curbside Prophet", "WordPlay", and "Please Don't Tell her." It's too easy for me to tone out to most of the songs and just allow them to be background music for whatever else I'm doing. That doesn't necessarily make them bad, but it just isn't what I'm used to from Jason Mraz. The ballads lack the luster that "Absolutely Zero" contains. "Love for a Child" comes close, but it seems a little too depressing for me to enjoy repeatedly.
I went back and played some tracks from the other two albums, and they instantly confirmed what I had been thinking. They're simpler, lighter, and just more fun to listen to.
Maybe this is just Jason trying new things as an artist. Maybe I'm more underwhelmed by this CD simply because the first two were so fantastic. It seems like a lot of artists do something a little different with the third project. In a lot of ways, it's still the Jason we all love, but in a lot of other ways, it sounds like someone completely different, and not necessarily in a good way. Like others have said, I think this album suffers from a lot of production that just wasn't needed.
I've tried to give this CD the best chance I can, but I think if I had heard this without the first two albums, I would be a lot less impressed by Jason Mraz. As must as it pains me to do so, I'd rate it a 3.5/5 overall. I'm a little disappointed and hope Jason's next album is more like the spirit of the first two.
With a band behind him, his magic disappears July 23, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I had high hopes for this album after hearing "I'm yours" - which is a beautiful, simple song that is very reminiscent of his early work. After listening to the whole album, I found myself extremely disappointed.
It seems like ever since Mr. A to Z, Jason is making music for someone other than himself, and that he has gotten a tremendous amount of pressure to 'refine' his sound. This just means that he has lost the creative freedom that made his music free and flowing, full of entertaining lyrics and beautiful raw melodies (Check out his very first CD, live at Java Joe's). He has been crapping out music ever since his first official album 'Waiting for my Rocket' which was a wonderful blend of his personality and his producer's demands.
I think if he dropped a few band members, or heck, if he even remixed his new music in order to drop out some trumpets and percussion and background hoo-ha, then it might almost reach the simple beauty of what he used to make.
I still have faith in Jason that he will eventually realize that being a sell-out isn't worth it.
 disappointing July 30, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I was so excited to hear Jasons new CD! I have been a die hard fan for years! Seen him in concert 3 times! I love his sound and clever lyrics....but this CD does not live up to his others! I think he tried too hard or something. The Jason Mraz I fell in love with is not present in this CD. I am so bummed! Just wanted to warn you....It's very disappointing!
Lovin' Mraz! July 20, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I had no idea who this singer/artist was. I saw his album cover in Starbucks (and it's sorta eyecatching with the drawing and the title) and said, "Hm. Interesting." Promptly forgot about it. Then heard "I'm Yours" on the radio and said, "Hey, this is great! What a fun song! Who is this?" The announcer said "Jason Mraz". So I said okay, gotta buy it. I did. Now I can't stop listening to it. And do I love Colbie Calliat? YES! Does he happen to have a duet with her on this CD? YES! Do I like every song? NOOO. 3 or 4 of them I can't stand. But the good far outweighs the "bad". And it's not bad, just not my style of music. But overall, a delightful CD. There is this one song, I often fantasize he wrote just for me, is "A Beautiful Mess". That song touches me in every way. The profound words, the melody, the delicate nature. What a gift Jason is. Again, not every song is my style, but the majority? Outstanding. (In case you're curious, my favs in the order of "favorite-ness" are: tracks 5, 2, 12, 6, 3, 11, 4). I highly recommend buying this interesting and fun CD! And listen to the songs more than once before making judgements. Let them play all the way through. The nuances you find time after time is quite remarkable!
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