It's almost too easy to lump Jason Mraz in with the likes of Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews and John Mayer; but in truth, the Virginian's former touring partners are well-matched to his acoustic-pop ramblings. A big player on the US college rock circuit, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.' named for a David Shrigley cartoon - is Mraz's third studio outing, and has already earned him a 2009 Grammy nomination (for single I'm Yours'.)
Keeping the company of such musicians (as well as inviting the bland James Morrison and newcomer Colbie Caillat on board for a duet each), means that there are no surprises here - even if you've never heard a note of Mraz's before. These are jaunty pop songs based around laid-back guitar riffs with flourishes of horns or piano, while Mraz's vocals are a smooth, occasionally soulful affair, strangely sounding like a hybrid of Damien Rice and Michael Buble at times.
With a majority of tracks embodying the words 'pedestrian' and 'inoffensive', there are no real standouts; and although Only Human (its bassline straight out of an Air song), Coyote's Script-like radio friendliness and the James Taylor-esque sentimentality of Make It Mine are amongst the least-forgettable, the oft-embarrassing lyrical content ("I'm taking a moment to imagine I'm dancing with you / I'm your pole, and all you're wearing is your shoes") is ultimately what lets Mraz down most.
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. will go down a treat with fans of The Fray, Jack Johnson, Paolo Nutini et al; anyone else will find proceedings dull, if not completely drab, at best.