Mr. A–Z
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 58/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+ |
| The Guardian | |
| MSN Music (Consumer Guide) | |
| MusicOMH | |
| PopMatters | 3/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Slant Magazine |
Mr. A–Z is the second album by the American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on July 26, 2005. It is the follow-up to his first album Waiting for My Rocket to Come, released in 2002. Even with mixed reviews, it was a moderate commercial success and debuted at number 5 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. It was recognized for mixing many different genres of music together.[citation needed]
It was nominated by the Recording Academy for best engineered album, and the producer Steve Lillywhite, who previously worked with U2, Dave Matthews Band and The Rolling Stones, won for Producer of the Year, but not for his work on Mr. A–Z.[citation needed] 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 number 44.
Formats
In the United States and Europe, the album was released both as a CD and as a DualDisc. The DualDisc version has enhanced packaging and an extra booklet.
In July 2022, the album was reissued for the first time on vinyl, pressed to 2 LPs on both black and limited edition translucent blue vinyl versions.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Life Is Wonderful" | Jason Mraz | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Wordplay" | Jason Mraz, Kevin Kadish | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Geek in the Pink" | Jason Mraz, Kevin Kadish, Scott Storch, Ian Sheridan | 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 |
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Life Is Wonderful (Instrumental)" (Vinyl Bonus Track) | |
| 18. | "Geek in the Pink (Instrumental – Lillywhite Mix)" (Vinyl Bonus Track) | |
| 19. | "Bella Luna (Instrumental)" (Vinyl Bonus Track) | |
| 20. | "Song for a Friend (Instrumental)" (Vinyl Bonus Track) |
Personnel
- Jason Mraz – lead vocals on all tracks, acoustic guitar on all tracks, electric guitar on all tracks
Additional personnel
| Ian Sheridan – bass guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4 Bill Bell – guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4 Adam King – drums on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4 Eric Hinojosa – keyboards on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4, programming on track 8 Raul Rekow – congas on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, percussion on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Karl Perazzo – timbales on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, percussion on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Jack Daley – bass guitar on track 2 Lyle Workman – electric guitar on tracks 2 and 3, Dobro resonator guitar on tracks 2 and 3 Nir "Nir Z" Zidkyahu – drums on track 2 Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – keyboards on track 2 and 3, Moog bass synthesizer on track 3 Bashiri Johnson – percussion on track 2 Mike Elizondo – bass guitar on track 3 Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson – drums on track 3 Steve Sidelnyk – programming on track 3 DJ Bob Necksnapp – scratching and mixing on track 3 Bushwalla – spoken word on track 3 Noel "Toca" Rivera – backing vocals on tracks 4, 10 and 11 Nicole Bayer – cello on track 5 | 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 |
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) | 25 |
| US Billboard 200 | 5 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000‡ |
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |