Mr. A–Z

Mr. A–Z
Studio album by Jason Mraz
Released July 26, 2005
Recorded 2004–2005 at:
Allaire Studios
(Shokan, NY, USA)
Chez Mraz
(San Diego, CA, USA)
Pulse Studios
(Los Angeles, CA, USA)
Genre Pop rock, alternative rock
Length 54:25
Label Atlantic
Producer Steve Lillywhite, Josh Deutsch, Kevin Kadish
Jason Mraz chronology

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jason Mraz
(2005)		 Mr. A–Z
(2005)		 Geekin' Out Across the Galaxy
(2006)
Singles from Break the Cycle
  1. "Wordplay"
    Released: May 29, 2005
  2. "Geek in the Pink"
    Released: March 6, 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Rolling Stone [2]

Mr. A–Z is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on July 26, 2005. It is the studio follow-up to his first studio album Waiting for My Rocket to Come, released in 2002. Even with mixed reviews, it was a moderate commercial success and debuted at #5 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. It was recognized for mixing many different genres of music together.

It was nominated by the Recording Academy, for Best engineered album, and producer Steve Lillywhite, who previously worked with U2, The Dave Matthews Band and The Rolling Stones, won for Producer of the Year, but not for his work on Mr. A–Z. The name of the album is a play on the artist's surname, "Mraz".

An opera solo performed by Mraz himself can be found on the track "Mr. Curiosity". In March 2010 this song charted in Germany after it had been performed by Lena Meyer-Landrut in the talent show contest Unser Star für Oslo (Our Star for Oslo), reaching a peak position of #44.[3]

Formats

In the United States and Europe, the album was released both as a CD and as a DualDisc. The DualDisc version includes enhanced packaging and an extra booklet.

Album sales

In the United States, the album stayed in the Top 50 for three weeks.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Life Is Wonderful"  Jason Mraz, Stephanie Poole, Alanna Ferri 4:20
2. "Wordplay"  Jason Mraz, Kevin Kadish 3:06
3. "Geek in the Pink"  Jason Mraz, Ian Sheridan, Kevin Kadish 3:55
4. "Did You Get My Message? (feat. Rachael Yamagata)"  Jason Mraz, Dan Wilson 4:00
5. "Mr. Curiosity"  Jason Mraz, Dennis Morris, Lester Mendez 3:54
6. "Clockwatching"  Jason Mraz, Dennis Morris, Ainslie Henderson 4:23
7. "Bella Luna"  Jason Mraz, Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood 5:02
8. "Plane"  Jason Mraz, Dennis Morris 5:13
9. "O. Lover"  Jason Mraz, Dennis Morris 3:54
10. "Please Don't Tell Her"  Jason Mraz, Eric Hinojosa 4:40
11. "The Forecast"  Jason Mraz, Eric Hinojosa 3:44
12. "Song for a Friend"  Jason Mraz, Dan Wilson, Dennis Morris, Eric Hinojosa 8:09
Bonus tracks
No. Title Length
13. "Geek in the Pink (Lillywhite Remix)" (iTunes Bonus Track) 3:56
14. "Rocket Man (Acoustic Demo)" (U.S. and International iTunes Bonus Track) 3:35
15. "Burning Bridges (Unreleased Demo)" (International iTunes Bonus Track) 3:49
16. "Prettiest Friend (Demo)" (International iTunes Bonus Track) 4:19

Personnel

Additional personnel[4]
  • Roxanne Oldham – backing vocals on track 6
  • Danielle Decker – backing vocals on track 6
  • Raul Midón – classical guitar on track 7, electric guitar on track 12, faux horn on track 12, backing vocals on track 12
  • Charlie Mingroni – spoken word on track 8
  • Dennis Morris – programming on track 9
  • Lee Davis High School Choir – choir vocals on track 12
  • Steve Lilywhite – backing vocals on track 6, production on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, mixing on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
  • Carl Glanville – engineering on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, mixing on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
  • Scott Moore – backing vocals on track 6, engineering assistance on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
  • Matthew Cullen – engineering assistance on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
  • Josh Deutsch – castanets on track 2, production on tracks 2 and 3, executive production on all tracks
  • Kevin Kadish – acoustic guitar on track 2, production on tracks 2 and 3
  • Samuel "Vaughn" Merrick – engineering on tracks 2 and 3
  • David Thoener – mixing on track 2
  • Jim Scott – mixing on track 3
  • Ted Jensen – mastering on all tracks

References

  1. ↑ Mr. A–Z at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (11 August 2005). "Reviews". Rolling Stone, pp 74-75.
  3. ↑ German Single Charts positions Jason Mraz
  4. ↑ CD Liner Notes