Tender Notes

This collection of soft rock is melodious and a very even collection of tracks. Mraz starts on an upbeat note with Make It Mine8212;a track with a touch of funk and plenty of hand-claps thrown in make it perfect for imaginary or even actual road trips in your head. The faster tracks are good, but the softer tracks are better, especially the two collaborations on the track. Lucky, which features Colbie Caillat, another Indie-turned-charts-favourite musician, is about friendship leading to love. Both Caillat and Mraz blend their smooth vocals perfectly on this track, which is sure to be a radio-hit. The other collaboration is Details in the Fabric, which features James Morrison. This track stands out for its mellowness which goes beyond the slight soft-rock clicheacute;s as represented by the lyrics If it8217;s a broken part, replace it/if it8217;s a broken arm then brace it/If it8217;s a broken heart then face it. The other stands-out tracks on the album are the blues-y Only Human and the hip-hop influenced Coyotes. But the best track on the album is If It Kills Me, a song about lost love, which has a chorus of violins leading to a dramatic climax.

Mraz has a pleasant voice and he has a way of making even the most mundane of songs seem like a tender love song and he can sound heartbroken with great conviction. He8217;s used this album to showcase his talent in singing all sorts of genre8212; scat, blues, pop, folk. The only problem with this album is the order of the songs. Mraz lulls you into a mellow mood with a slow track and then moves into a faster track, which will have you sitting up with a jerk.

If not radio hits, these songs are sure to be hits at karaoke bars. At Rs 395, the album is a good buy for the hummable melodies and simple lyrics.

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Price Rs 395