Jason Mraz once more

With all the dazzling array of techno- logical gimmickry at their disposal, I do not really blame pop stars for their use of eye-popping sights and sounds to enhance their performances. Anything is possible nowadays, from aerial acrobatics to virtual reality song and dance. These are often impressive but I still hold to the now considered old- fashioned belief that all that a good performer really needs is his voice and his songs.

You can throw in a guitar if the case in point is Jason Mraz. That is why he is known as a pop troubadour. He is a throwback to the wander- ing minstrel of old with his lute who became the rocking folk singer with his guitar in the ’60s and who is a much-loved anachronism to the current generation. He writes songs and then sings them with his guitar. Too simple. Well, he might bring on his friend Toca Rivera to provide some happy beats. But those are all he needs. And still he fills up stadiums everywhere and sends rapturous glee to admiring audiences.

Expect the Grammy-winning Mraz to do this again on Tuesday, May 14, when he performs at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. He was there in October, two years ago and everybody loved him. This time around, the show presented by MMI and Ovation Produc- tions will be Jason Mraz & His Band Live In Manila and YouTube discovery Zendee will be a guest.

But I am sure that it will be basically Mraz of the same self-effacing charm singing his lilting songs.

This is because Mraz is basically a songwriter of such superb mastery of language that he can- not help but affect the emotions of his listeners. Thankfully, most of what he writes are happy tunes. Check out this verse from his big hit I’m Yours from the album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. “I’ve been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror/ and bending over backwards just to see it clearer/ but my breath fogged up the glass/ and so I drew a new face and laughed.”

I like how he took something so ordinary as in checking my tongue in the mirror to express love. “So I won’t hesitate no more, no more/ it cannot wait, I’m sure/ there’s no need to complicate, our time is short/ this is our fate, I’m yours.” I hear something like this and instantly I think of one of the great lyricists, Hal David and how he came up with “The moment I wake up, before I put on my make- up....” He and Jason both write of the mundane, everyday things in relation to love.

Mraz has a bit of an edge here though because he also writes his own melodies. In fact, he fills entire albums with his songs. David did most of his works with Burt Bacharach. Jason composed all of Lucky, “I’m lucky I’m in love with my best friend/ lucky to have been where I have been/ lucky to be coming home again.” Also Make It Mine, “Listen to your voice/ the one that tells you/ to taste past the tip of your tongue/ leap in, the net will appear.” Plus, The Remedy (I Won’t Worry), I Won’t Give Up, Him- self, 93 Million Miles and others.

Judging from the title, Jason Mraz & His Band Live In Manila, he is probably bringing in a tour- ing group that approximates the bigger, more diverse and complicated sound found in his most recent album, Love Is A Four Letter Word. Musi- cally, this one is his best although it has darker themes than his previous releases, Waiting For My Rocket To Come and Mr. A – Z. He may sing about broken hearts, but the music remains the same breezy and bluesy kind of pop-rock that he has become known for.

However, as far as live gigs go, Mraz brings not only his hit songs to the stage but also his great interaction with the audience. He is a bright, funny and totally engaging performer who charms everyone up to the rafters. Check out his CD-DVD album Tonight Not Again, Live At The Eagle’s Ballroom, if you were not able to watch any of his local shows. He will make you want to watch him live.

Tickets to Jason Mraz & His Band Live In Manila are priced at P6,125; P5,070; P3,700; P2,430; and P845 and are now available at all Ticketnet outlets or online at www.ticketnet.com.ph.