Jason Mraz
's
Waiting for My Rocket to Come
is a two-part invention. The first level is that of a young, almost compelling, singer/songwriter.
Mraz
has a nice voice, perhaps a little too articulated at times, which manages to mostly avoid the histrionic despite a predilection towards show tuney melodic turns. His voice tumbles out on top of
folk-reggae
rhythms that will probably sound a bit dated with time, but his vocals are filled with enough internal rhythms and rhymes to keep them interesting. Lyrically,
relies on cliche to a certain degree, but does so with an earnestness that allows for believability and an eye for imagery that succeeds often enough to suggest that he knows what he's doing. The second level of
is the production of
John Alagia
, whose work has enhanced other similar
folk-pop
fair, including
the Dave Matthews Band
and
O.A.R.
His work with
is, at its best, transparent, filling out the songs with subtle and glossy production and instrumentation. Reflections of banjos, organs, mellotrons, lap steels, ukuleles, and others peak out through the shine of the tunes, creating an impact too rich to be written off as lite. ~ Jesse Jarnow