rockschoolpodcast

Jason Mraz is living full spiral. It’s not full circle, exactly, because he’s changed and his experiences have changed, but on his 8th studio album, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride, the musician has found himself returning to a familiar junction in space. Throughout the album, there are hints of Mraz’s formative releases, including his 2002 debut Waiting For My Rocket to Come and 2005’s Mr. A-Z, but it ultimately finds a kinship with 2008’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The new songs, which are unabashedly pop, see Mraz reuniting with numerous collaborators, including L.A. band Raining Jane and producer Martin Terefe, who helmed the 2008 breakout album. The songs grapple with the emotions and experiences that come with being in your mid-life, a time that is often ignored by pop songwriters. Its optimistic, inspiring sensibility reflects the musician’s overall approach to being in the world. It is, in fact, full spiral, reflecting the past but becoming something new. For Mraz, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride is another step forward on the unpredictable journey of life. Its optimistic, inspiring sensibility reflects the musician’s overall approach to being in the world. He continues to run his organic home farm, Mraz Family Farms, which grows coffee and avocados, and his nonprofit the Jason Mraz Foundation, which has a mission of shining for inclusive arts education, food security and the advancement of equality. He donated all of the profits from Look For The Good to various charities, and actively advocates for equality, climate preservation and arts education. Mraz, a two-time Grammy winner, Songwriters Hall of Fame Honoree and spokesperson for the Good Tidings Foundation, always aims to use his position to empower others and inspire real-world change and positivity. It’s something he will carry with him as he moves into the next spiral, and one after that, and into infinity.