We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
| We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Jason Mraz | ||||||||||
| Released | May 13, 2008 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 2007–2008 at: Kensaltown Recording Studios (London, England) Little Big Sound Studio (Nashville, TN, USA) Casa Nova Studio (Oceanside, CA) |
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| Genre | Pop rock[1] | |||||||||
| Length | 50:49 | |||||||||
| Label | Atlantic | |||||||||
| Producer | Martin Terefe | |||||||||
| Jason Mraz chronology | ||||||||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||||||||
Limited edition cover
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We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. is the third studio album by Jason Mraz released on May 13, 2008.[2] The album peaked at number three in the Billboard 200, Mraz's highest-peaking album thus far. Mraz took the name of the album from a work by artist David Shrigley.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Background and production
Progress of the recording of the album has been documented on the YouTube series "Crazy Man's Ju-ju" which contain clips from San Diego and London, where most of the album was formed. "I'm Yours" is the first single from the album and was made available on iTunes, Zune Marketplace, and Amazon.com on February 12, 2008. The album features collaborations with James Morrison on the track "Details in the Fabric" and with Colbie Caillat[4] on the track "Lucky."
The album was preceded by three EPs released monthly for a limited time. We Sing. was released on March 18. We Dance. was released on April 15. The third installment, We Steal Things., was released as part of a digital bundle through iTunes, JasonMraz.com, and AtlanticRecords.com upon the release of the album. The third EP was only released along with the new studio album May 13, 2008.[5] As of March 17, 2010 the album has sold 1,491,736 copies in the U.S. and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
On November 18, 2008 the album was re-released with the name We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Limited Edition. The re-released album is a three disc set that includes the original 12-track CD, the second disc includes all three We Sing., We Dance., and We Steal Things. EPs all on one disc, and the third DVD includes an unreleased full-band concert Live at the Highline Ballroom in NYC, a 30-minute documentary titled "Here We Are," and a preview to his "a thousand things." polaroid book. The packaging also includes a 20 page CD booklet with full lyrics and additional artwork.
[edit] Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Make It Mine" | Jason Mraz | 3:08 |
| 2. | "I'm Yours" | Jason Mraz | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Lucky" (with Colbie Caillat) | Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, Timothy Fagan | 3:09 |
| 4. | "Butterfly" | Jason Mraz | 5:00 |
| 5. | "Live High" | Jason Mraz | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Love for a Child" | Jason Mraz, Martin Terefe, Sacha Skarbek | 4:06 |
| 7. | "Details in the Fabric" (feat. James Morrison) | Jason Mraz, Dan Wilson | 5:45 |
| 8. | "Coyotes" | Jason Mraz | 3:38 |
| 9. | "Only Human" | Jason Mraz, Sacha Skarbek | 4:03 |
| 10. | "The Dynamo of Volition" | Jason Mraz | 3:36 |
| 11. | "If it Kills Me" | Jason Mraz, Martin Terefe, Sacha Skarbek | 4:33 |
| 12. | "A Beautiful Mess" | Jason Mraz, Mona Tavakoli, Chaska Potter, Mai Bloomfield, Becky Gebhardt | 5:38 |
| iTunes Bonus Tracks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 13. | "Make it Mine (Live: London Sessions)" (iTunes Bonus Track) | Jason Mraz | 3:30 | ||||||
| 14. | "Life is Wonderful (Live from Amsterdam)" (iTunes Bonus Track) | Jason Mraz | 4:35 | ||||||
| Limited Edition Bonus Tracks (Disc 2) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "I'm Yours (From the Casa Nova Sessions)" | 4:47 | |||||||
| 2. | "Live High (From an Avocado Salad Session)" | 4:01 | |||||||
| 3. | "If it Kills Me (From the Casa Nova Sessions)" | 5:00 | |||||||
| 4. | "A Beautiful Mess (From a Raining Jane Session)" | 5:17 | |||||||
| 5. | "Make it Mine (From the Casa Nova Sessions)" | 3:23 | |||||||
| 6. | "Butterfly (From the Casa Nova Sessions)" | 5:10 | |||||||
| 7. | "Only Human (From the Casa Nova Sessions)" | 4:47 | |||||||
| 8. | "The Dynamo of Volition (From an All-Night Session)" | 4:43 | |||||||
| 9. | "Love for a Child (From the Casa Nova Sessions)" | 3:54 | |||||||
| 10. | "Coyotes (From A Girl in New York Sessions)" | 4:20 | |||||||
| 11. | "Man Gave Names to All the Animals (From the Gospel Collection Sessions)" | 4:18 | |||||||
| 12. | "Mudhouse/Gypsy MC (Live from Amsterdam)" | 7:00 | |||||||
The Latin American and Spanish re-release of the album includes a Spanish version of the song Lucky which was recorded by Mraz and Mexican singer Ximena Sariñana.[6]
[edit] Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Billboard | (positive)[8] |
| Blender | |
| Dot Music | |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+)[11] |
| PopMatters | (7/10)[12] |
| Slant Magazine | |
| Sputnikmusic | |
| The Big Issue | |
| The Boston Globe | (positive)[16] |
The album overall, gained positive to mixed reviews. Commenting on the album's "pleasantly lightweight jams", "beachy guitars", "R&B horns" and "playful scat singing", Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+.[17] In an overall positive review, Billboard said "Mraz emerges even bolder than before on an album loaded with strings, horns, formidable grooves and a dozen songs dripping with mantra-like positivity."[18]
Allmusic said that "The nice thing about the soulful shimmer of We Sing is that it's so slick that it's easy to ignore the gibberish spilling out of Mraz's mouth and just enjoy the sunny, easy sound".[19]
PopMatters wrote that "The album sounds great, and Mraz knows what he is up to. Less clear, I think, is whether the razzle-dazzle wordsmith who loves his Eminem records is ready to truly enter the marketplace as a serious vocalist and a sober songwriter", giving the album a positive rating of seven out of ten overall.[20]
Giving the album two-and-a-half out of five stars, Blender concluded that whether "Pondering his parents divorce or describing intricate and delicate sex acts, Mraz's tasty tenor remains a modestly classy pleasure. But he's lost crucial cool."[21]
Even less flattering, Uncut magazine said that "Listening to [the album] is like being followed home by a puppy— initially cute and guilelessly affecting, but rapidly irritating".[22] Writing for The Big Issue in December 2008, Lianne Steinberg stated that "listening to this album is akin to being woken from a comfortable deep sleep by a circus clown with a water pistol full of warm urine", singling out the "terrible lyrics and hamfisted rhymes" for their "hilarity".[15]
[edit] Personnel
- Additional personnel
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[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina Albums Chart[23] | 18 |
| Australian Albums Chart[24] | 3 |
| Belgian Albums Charts (Wallonia)[25] | 15 |
| French Albums Chart[26] | 6 |
| Spanish Albums Charts[27] | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[28] | 3 |
[edit] Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Swiss Albums Chart[29] | 67 |
[edit] Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[30] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[31] | 2× Platinum | 160,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[32] | 2× Platinum | 200,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[33] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[34] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[35] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] | Gold | 15,000x |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[37] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[38] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[39] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
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*sales figures based on certification alone |
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[edit] References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "((( We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1348819. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
- ^ Jasonmraz.com - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things Jason Mraz Official Store Pre-Order
- ^ Blair, Tom (November 2008). San Diego Magazine. CurtCo/SDM LLC. p. 46. http://books.google.com/books?id=FQMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46.
- ^ iTunesLive - iTunesLive London Sessions
- ^ Via Atlantic Records - Jason Mraz releases/Tour talk!
- ^ "Graba Ximena Sariñana video de la suerte". esmas. 22 May 2009. http://www2.esmas.com/ritmoson/noticias/065221/graba-ximena-sarinana-video-suerte. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
- ^ "Allmusic review". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1348819.
- ^ "Billboard review". http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3i4c48acfb0da84a314ab0b2daf77c86ad.
- ^ "Blender review". http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=5133.
- ^ "Dot Music review". http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/090109/33/220f4.html.
- ^ "Entertainment Weekly review". 9 May 2008. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20198685,00.html.
- ^ "PopMatters review". http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/jason-mraz-we-sing-we-dance-we-steal-things.
- ^ "Slant Magazine review". http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1390.
- ^ "Sputnikmusic review". http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25732.
- ^ a b Steinberg, Lianne. "Review: JASON MRAZ - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things (Atlantic Records)". The Big Issue In The North (The Big Life Company) (753, 23 December-4 January 2009): 25.
- ^ "The Boston Globe review". May 20, 2008. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2008/05/20/we_listened_we_like_it_but_just_a_little/.
- ^ Wood, Mikael (May 09, 2008) "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things". Entertainment Weekly. (accessed 2009-01-13)
- ^ Graff, Gary (May 24, 2008), "News". Billboard. (accessed 2009-01-13)
- ^ [1]. All Music Guide. (accessed 2009-01-13)
- ^ PopMatters Review.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (June 2008), "Conservatory-trained one-hit marvel aims for another hit by emphasizing the obvious". Blender. :75 (accessed 2009-01-13)
- ^ Byline unknown (July 2008), [2]. Uncut. :104 (accessed 2009-01-13)
- ^ "Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música". CAPIF. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?CodOp=ESCS&CO=6. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ^ "ARIA Chart". http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display.asp?chart=1G50. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
- ^ "Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Jason+Mraz&titel=We+Sing%2C+We+Dance%2C+We+Steal+Things&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ^ "Tops : Britney et Seal conservent leurs places". Chartsinfrance.net. 2008-12-23. http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Britney-Spears/news-67282.html. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
- ^ [3][dead link]
- ^ Hasty, Katy (21 May 2008). "Jason Mraz's Atlantic album 'We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things' enters at No. 3 with 73,000". Billboard magazine. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003806082. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
- ^ "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". Media Control. Hung Medien. http://swisscharts.com/year.asp?key=2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2009Albums.htm.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=We+Sing%2C+We+Dance%2C+We+Steal+Things&sa=Jason+Mraz&smt=0.
- ^ "French album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259165-CERTIFICATIONS.html?year=2009&type=13.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Jason Mraz; 'We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=We+Sing.+We+Dance.+We+steal+thin.&strInterpret=Jason+Mraz&strTtArt=alben&strAwards=checked.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. http://rianz.org.nz/rianz/oldchart.asp?chartNum=1677&chartKind=A.
- ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2008" (in Swedish) (PDF). IFPI Sweden. http://www.ifpi.se/wp/wp-content/uploads/guld-platina-20082.pdf.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Jason Mraz; 'We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.')". Hung Medien. http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=Jason+Mraz+We+Sing.+We+Dance.+We+steal+thin..
- ^ "British album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Enter We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin. in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
- ^ "American album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22We+Sing.+We+Dance.+We+steal+thin.%22. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2009". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat2009.html.
[edit] External links
- Jason Mraz's official YouTube channel - contains aforementioned "Crazy Man's Ju-ju" series
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- Albums certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
- Albums certified double platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
- Albums certified double platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
- Albums certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie
- Albums certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
- Albums certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Sweden
- Albums certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Switzerland
- Albums certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
- Albums certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
- Albums certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
- Jason Mraz albums
- Atlantic Records video albums
- Documentary films about music and musicians
- Concert films
- Live video albums
- 2008 video albums
- 2008 live albums
- Atlantic Records live albums
- 2008 albums
- Atlantic Records albums