There was a wealth of young teenage girls queuing up for last night's concert in Hammersmith which had us worried. Was Jason Mraz just another bubble gum pop sensation from across the Atlantic, or was there more to the avocado farmer that we had yet to see?
Mr Mraz certainly has a great affinity with his audience and can hold them in the palm of his hand with crowd favourites from his latest album, such as "The Dynamo of Volition" and the hit "I’m Yours". "Live High" was a spectacular performance, especially when three of the musicians appeared from nowhere in a heavenly aura in the circle. However, when playing tracks from his previous albums with his "sensatious" (could this be a new entry into the Oxford English Dictionary in the near future?) band, the audience was clearly lost at sea. Were these songs just not of the same laid-back, almost Hawaiian vibe of his latest crop, or simply unheard of.
His encore was incredibly long at almost forty minutes in total - more then a third of his total act. This may be viewed by many as self indulgent, but the fans just lapped it up, much the more so when there was the prospect of grabbing one of the many Poloroids taken of the band by Jason. His vocal range was shown in full force, highlighted by his operatic performance within "Mr Curiosity". However, what was lacking overall was a complete package. Surely there must be more to him than these happy, lovey, summery songs. This is highly likely, but maybe at this moment in time, music like this is just what the doctor ordered.
Words by Andrew Humphries
