King of the clever wordplays

Jason Mraz is king of the wordplay, even if he doesn't like the title. Mraz's latest album, the cleverly-titled Mr. A-Z, carries on the Mraz shtick of intricate and witty announcements of the mundane.\nHe isn't just a smart word-artist: the man can sing with the best of the contemporary pop-rockers (Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Adam Levine -- artists who Mraz will always be unfairly compared to). He's obviously increasing his vocal range constantly, which is nice with a perfect pitch voice like his. On top of all that, he can write clever pop songs as well as Gwen Stefani or Mark McGrath. (As much as Sugar Ray sucks, their songs are rabidly catchy.)\nBut with obvious potential and ability, expectations were high for A-Z. And, in some ways, the record disappoints. Songs like "Wordplay" (the album's first single) and "O, Lover" speak well of Mraz's talent, but not every song is nearly as catchy. "Wordplay" and "Did You Get My Message?" take stabs at the music industry and the songwriting process, respectively -- which are fine, except "Message" is followed by a serious piano-opera ballad, "Mr. Curiosity." The transition from the rhythmic lyrical stylings associated with Mraz to falsetto opera can be, well, hard to stomach.\nBut right out of "Curiosity" comes "Clockwatching," a fun, James Taylor-meets-Coldplay-style sing-along.\nOn "Bella Luna" Mraz pays homage to Jack Johnson and Norah Jones, crooning a love song to the Moon. Before I listened to "Luna" fully, this idea sounded as if it would become his worst project ever. But, I must give props where props are due.\nEach song on the album is a treat in its own right. (Don't miss "Plane," or really any song.) And producer Steve Lillywhite (Dave Matthews Band, U2, Rolling Stones, Talking Heads) did what he does best -- Mr. A-Z is as smooth as a glass-bottom pool. But I doubt Mraz did his best on his sophomore release, mostly in the area of final song choice. His efforts would probably be more productively spent on lyrical rhythmic songs of old ("Dreamlife of Rand McNally") and built-up ballads from his freshman effort ("You and I Both"). "You and I" and "Rand McNally" would fit much better side-by-side, even though they are intensely different songs.\nThe more I listen, the more I like Mr. A-Z, but, to be sure, each song stands alone. All in all, that's my only major complaint. My copy of this record will find itself worn from rotation.