Are you looking for some new music to listen to? Something new and fresh, with a melody you can’t resist? Maybe you want one of those perfect summer CDs that is perfect for rolling down the windows, turning up the stereo and not caring who hears or watches you sing along on that normally boring commute to work. Whatever you’re looking for, look no further than Jason Mraz’s newest release, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The CD contains a little bit of everything, infusing a blend of musical sounds and styles that Mraz does so artfully. 

The album begins with the slightly jazzy “Make It Mine,” a song that reminds us all to live life to the fullest. It’s hard to listen to this song and not find yourself wanting to dance along with the energetic horn section. Following “Make It Mine,” is “I’m Yours,” a song any seasoned Jason Mraz fan should already be familiar with. Released as a bonus track on his previous album, the song’s popularity spurred Mraz to tweak it a little and release the catchy, Hawaiian-influenced tune as his first single off the album.

“Make It Mine” and “I’m Yours” are just the tip of the iceberg, however. The entire album is a journey that Mraz takes the listener on, exploring a variety of subject matter. There are the love songs, of course. The sweet, laid-back “Lucky” with Colbie Callait chronicles a love story, creating a vision of the two lovers finally reuniting on a beautiful beach. The lyrics could even border on cheesy, but the beautiful melody and the infusion of Mraz and Callait’s voices makes the song irresistible. Mraz also tells of the flipside of that true blue love in the sweet “If It Kills Me,” which tells of an unreturned love that most people have probably been able to relate to at one time or another. The soulful, jazzy “Butterfly” is about as sexy as a song can get, and that is in large part due to Mraz’s talent with words and his ability to manipulate and combine them in a unique way that few lyricists can. “Butterfly” is definitely one of the highlights of the album.

Love is just one subject that Mraz tackles on We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Without a doubt the most heartfelt song on the album is “Love for a Child,” which is about a child reflecting on his parents’ divorce. There is a heavy sadness throughout the song, which carries through the chorus even as it swells. This is one of those songs that manages to dig its way deep into you as you listen to it, almost as if the violin bow is swaying its way across your heartstrings as you listen.

Mraz doesn’t need to be sad to make an impression, though. He rekindles the hip hop influence heard on previous albums again this time around, most notably on “Coyotes” and “The Dynamo of Volition.” “Coyotes” is a darkly fun treat on the album, featuring synthesizers and a unique choir of varied voices. And “The Dynamo of Volition” is another highlight of the album, featuring Mraz’s trademark rapid-fire lyrics first seen in “The Remedy.” The fast-paced, fun nature, and Mraz’s encouragement in the chorus to “get ‘em up way high, gimme gimme that high five,” will have you putting this song on repeat indefinitely.

But that’s not all. Mraz has a few more tricks up his sleeve. He continues the theme of living life to its fullest in “Live High,” reminding us to take a closer look at life and not take it too seriously. The choir that joins in at the end does a great job of lifting up the listener, filling them with a sense of optimism. “Details in the Fabric” featuring James Morrison is a more haunting tune, reminding us to be strong in the face of whatever life may through our way. Mraz and Morrison blend beautifully and create a song that stays with you long after it’s over. There is also “Only Human,” a song that reminds us of our relationship to the world around us. Heavier on bass and drums, Mraz keeps the song light with his distinct vocal sound.

The musical journey that Jason Mraz takes his listener on closes with “A Beautiful Mess,” the perfect song to wrap up the themes Mraz has explored for the last 45 minutes. A pretty ballad, with some simple piano and light drumbeats, Mraz is back to love, but it feels like so much more. Maybe because after getting through the album, the listener realizes that it really is about so much more. Jason Mraz has managed to create an album about life and love that anyone can relate to. He manages to be serious without being preachy and in love without being too sappy. And he sums it all up with the title: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Yes. Yes we do.