We Sing, We Dance, We're Lightweight, 3 out of 5 Stars
Jason Mraz is the kind of sweetly done adult pop that gets the occasional breakthrough, and his "We Sing..." is the 2008/9 model. His airy, Jack Johnson copy, "I'm Yours," broke Billboard chart records of longevity, and was the most omnipresent earworm since James Blunt's "You're Beautiful." That song has made Jason a newly minted star, but how does his breakthrough CD hold up? Like a Hostess cupcake. He'll sing about it, dance for it, but that cupcake is one that Jason would consider himself too nice a guy to shoplift.
"We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things" offers up creamy observations on love and life, overproduced goopy ballads and sweet folky pastries. When it works ("I'm Yours," "Lucky" with Colbie Caillat), it makes for solid easy listening fair. When it doesn't ("The Dynamo of Volition"), Jason comes of as really annoying white-bread soul without much depth. And frankly, the sterile horn charts and string sections often make the songs sound over-produced. If you listen without digging in too deep, "We Sing..." is pleasant enough, but paying stricter attention shows an artist playing it way too safe.
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