Love is a Four Letter Word

Rolling Stone (p.80) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[H]e's added more world-music textures to his folk pop, and turned up the blissed-out vibes on LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD." Entertainment Weekly (p.111) - "Mraz has accrued a major fan base thanks to hits like 'I'm Yours' and 'I Won't Give Up'....Love-each-other doodles like 'Everything Is Sound' become sweetly breezy anthems." -- Grade: B Billboard (p.32) - "[A] feel-good album that matches its emotions with some of Mraz's most fully fleshed-out and melodically ambitious compositions yet."

Underneath his tongue-twisting wordplay, Jason Mraz fancies himself a loverman -- and given that his greatest success came from the sticky sentiment of "I'm Yours," who can blame him for thinking this way? Nevertheless, he's never made a full-blown makeout record until Love Is a Four Letter Word, an album steeped in '70s soul. Mraz doesn't neglect his acoustic guitar nor does he abandon his showy verbal gymnastics, but apart from a cut or two -- including "I Won't Give Up," the album's first single -- they're buried underneath stacks of luxurious strings and thick, insistent grooves, touches that tie the record together with elegance. Mr. A-Z has hinted at soul before but he's never placed music over words, a shift of emphasis that delivers great dividends. He can still be a nasally, hyperactive twit, too eager to succumb to clever-clever puns and quips, but there's an acknowledgment that even if he can't change who he is -- witness the terribly titled "Fred D Fixer," an ode to a grandfather who lived by his hands, not his wits -- he can build upon this foundation. If all he adds is color and flair, not some serious depth, that winds up being enough: by making alterations and affecting his pose, Mraz pushes himself into new territory, creating music that's perilously close to sounding seductive. What holds Love Is a Four Letter Word from actually being seductive is that Mraz seems more lech than Lothario -- there's always a sense that he's around for nothing longer than a night. But, as Love Is a Four Letter Word plays, Mraz can convince you that his pleasures are a bit more than fleeting. It may be a lie, but it sure sounds good as it's told. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

大ヒット作『We Sing, WeDance, We Steal Things』から4年ぶりとなる4作目。美メロを求めて暖簾をくぐったリスナーにとって期待を裏切らない内容なのは間違いなく、曲調の振り幅の広さやアレンジの洗練度の高さなどもかなりのものだ。そんななか、イイ感じに力の抜けた歌唱が光っており、イナラ・ジョージが参加したボサノヴァ調の“Be Honest”をはじめ、〈MILD〉という素敵な4文字言葉の似合う曲が揃っている。
bounce (C)桑原シロー