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Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom [CD/DVD]

 
Album Review: Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom [CD/DVD]

  • Artist: Jason Mraz
  • Rating: StarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: August 24, 2004
  • Type: Live
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Jason Mraz made quite an impression in 2003. With his lopsided eyes and irritatingly cockeyed cap, he was the anti-John Mayer even as he was his peer. For Mraz didn't so much wish to be the junior Dave Matthews as he did the non-threatening folk-pop jangle dealer -- a one-man O.A.R. for the spaghetti-strapped masses. And who needs bubblegum lips when you have the Matrix in your corner? Mraz built a nationwide coffeehouse on the strength of singles like "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" and "You and I Both," and those tracks anchor this pleasant holdover live set. Tonight, Not Again finds Mraz to be an engaging performer, able to flutter his voice up and down through registers with incredible ease. He's performing music tailor-made for the Aware Records crowd -- Midwestern college students, open-mike hosts, and guys with beards. His backing band is quite capable, if a little too clean -- it's the same quibble that dogged Waiting for My Rocket to Come, but it still holds true. Can't someone buy these dudes a distortion pedal? Well, no need. Like Mayer's own live placeholder Any Given Thursday, every second of Mraz's Tonight, Not Again is populated by smitten screaming. That cockeyed cap! Those lustrous high notes! On October 28, 2003, Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom was certainly catching the Jason Mraz vapors. The kid's twittering following eats up every morsel of Tonight, from the soft tones of the title track opener through the drifting "Sleeping to Dream" (his own "Wonderland"?) and the rousing, smartly lyrical "Too Much Food." Mraz is also shown to have a classic rock flair in his songwriting. "Absolutely Zero" references Pink Floyd's "Us and Them," "Common Pleasure" and "Curbside Prophet" stretch into scat and percussion-filled jams, and he does a nice cover of Elton John's "Rocket Man." John Popper guests, the horn section is a nice -- if a bit too grandiose -- touch, and pretty soon Tonight, Not Again becomes a fan-friendly breeze. For them, it'll be a happy-go-lucky yearbook scrawl from the lopsided-eyed guy himself. [Tonight, Not Again included a DVD portion with behind-the-scenes footage.] ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

Tracks



CD 1

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Tonight, Not Again (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (7:55)
Not So Usual (Lyrics) Martin Terefe, Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (3:33)
Dialogue Jason Mraz (:52)
No Doubling Back (Lyrics) Jason Mraz, Peter Zizzo Jason Mraz (4:30)
You and I Both (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (3:39)
Absolutely Zero (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (6:15)
1000 Things (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (4:10)
Common Pleasure (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (5:18)
Curbside Prophet (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (5:13)
Sleeping to Dream (Lyrics) Jason Mraz, Peter Stuart Jason Mraz (4:13)
Unfold (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (8:28)
No Stopping Us [Live] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (6:09)
The Remedy (I Won't Worry) Jason Mraz, Scott Spock, Graham Edwards, Lauren Christy Jason Mraz (3:39)
After an Afternoon (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (3:46)
Too Much Food (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz (8:43)
The Right Kind Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Sleep All Day [Acoustic] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Dream Life of Rand McNally Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
0% Interest (Lyrics) Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
On Love in Sadness Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
The Boys Gone Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Who Needs Shelter (Lyrics) Chris Keup, Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long Long Time) [Live] Bernie Taupin, Elton John Jason Mraz


CD 2

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Tonight, Not Again [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Not So Usual [DVD] Martin Terefe, Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
No Doubling Back [DVD] Jason Mraz, Peter Zizzo Jason Mraz
You and I Both [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Absolutely Zero [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
1000 Things [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Common Pleasure [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Curbside Prophet [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Sleeping to Dream [DVD] Peter Stuart, Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Unfold [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
The Right Kind [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
No Stopping Us [DVD][Live] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
The Remedy (I Won't Worry) [DVD] Graham Edwards, Lauren Christy, Scott Spock, Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
After an Afternoon [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz
Too Much Food [DVD] Jason Mraz Jason Mraz

Credits

Johnny Cotton (Trombone), Eric Hinojosa (Banjo), The Ohio Players (Guest Appearance), Kenny Anderson (Group Member), John Popper (Harmonica), Eric Hinojosa (Keyboards), Kenny Anderson (Trumpet), Chicago Storm (Guest Appearance), Ian Sheridan (Vocals (Background)), Nigel Dick (Direction), Tim Palmer (Mixing), Nick Terzo (Engineer), John Popper (Guest Appearance), JoWestly Boston (Saxophone), Mark O'Donoughue (Mixing), Ian Sheridan (Guitar (Bass)), Jason Mraz (Vocals), Bill Silva (Executive Producer), James "Diamond" Williams (Horn Arrangements), Johnny Cotton (Group Member), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), Jason Mraz (Guitar), Bill Bell (Guitar), Pete Novak (Engineer), JoWestly Boston (Group Member), Pete Novak (Assistant Engineer)
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more