Search - Jason Mraz :: Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess - Live On Earth (CD/DVD)

Great Tour, Great Album

D. Fanton | Williston, VT | 11/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The second official full length concert recording from Jason Mraz, Beautiful Mess is an apt demonstration of his continued growth as an artist and performer. Recorded during the Gratitude Cafe Tour, this CD/DVD set is well suited for new fans and old hats alike.



The setlist, while unsurprisingly heavy on We Sing, We Dance, We Steal things, is well chosen and does a solid job of showcasing Mraz's sound of late and the tour the show was part of. "The Remedy" gets a new Reggae-style arrangement, "Make it Mine" is accompanied by long-time tour intro, and fan-favorite, "Traveler" and "Coyotes" reaches it's full potential as a surprisingly rockin' live jam. The two new tunes, "Sunshine Song" (previously known as "Ray of Sunshine") and "Anything You Want", also offer a promising look at what's to come. There's no pleasing everyone and quibbling over setlist selection is unavoidable but overall I think the set included on Beautiful Mess gets the job done. Although, attendees of the Chicago show will want to take note that half a dozen songs performed the night of the recording didn't make the final cut. Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" and a cover of the Bushwalla tune "Fall Through Glass", which became signatures of the tour are, however, welcome additions. As is the solo performance of "The Boy's Gone" which features Mraz playing to an empty Charter One Pavilion the night before the show was recorded.



Mraz's vocals are characteristically strong and his band top notch. The Grooveline Horns are featured prominently with multiple solos and their own interlude "Copchase". With keyboards, rhythm guitarist, bass, drums and ever-present "vocusionist" Toca Rivera on board, the sound on Beautiful Mess is full and robust but never becomes overbearing or cluttered.



The DVD also contains a pair of featurettes. "Un Beau Desordre" is a mocumentary featuring Mraz and long-time pal/roommate Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood touring Charter One and "overseeing" every part of the show's production. "We Sing, We Dance, We Make Videos" features director Darren Doane and Mraz sharing the story, and behind the scenes footage, of their collaboration on the three videos from the latest album; "I'm Yours", "Make it Mine" and "Lucky".



Beautiful Mess vs. Tonight Not Again



I'm sure there are more than a few folks just discovering Mraz and debating which live DVD they should pick up. To avoid the wholly useless (though completely justified) advice of "get both", I'll offer a bit of comparison. Both shows are enjoyable yet vastly different in both content and production. Sound wise, the significantly smaller Eagles Ballroom gives Tonight Not Again a more intimate feel while the outdoor Charter One Pavilion lends a grander, more expansive tone to Beautiful Mess. Both mixes are high quality, with vocals appropriately up front. The horns play a more prominent role on Beautiful Mess with the Grooveline boys taking a few welcome solos while The Ohio Players appear only on select tracks on Tonight Not Again. I would say that for live DVDs, both shows offer a pretty good balance of crowd noise. That is to say that neither show really suffers from any sort of distracting screaming, though there may be a few debatable moments on Tonight Not Again.



The setlists from the two shows are completely different with the only duplicate song between the two being "The Remedy" which is performed in a completely different style on Beautiful Mess. Both albums reflect the album being toured to support at the time, but Beautiful Mess also offers a couple of new tunes.



Both DVDs contain some fun bonus features. Tonight Not Again features the 20 minute "International So and So" which follows Mraz on part of his world tour as well as a behind the scenes featurette on the taping of the show. Beautiful Mess follows suit with the Mocumentary "Un Beau Desordre" featuring Bushwalla and the featurette We Sing, We Dance, We Make videos. Both will be well worth watching for fans and entertaining at the least for the casually acquainted.



The biggest difference between the two CD/DVDs, other than song content, might be that Tonight Not Again features interspersed interview segments between songs, while Beautiful Mess sticks to just the music. Both shows lack much of the between song banter that's become familiar to Mraz fans but doesn't lend itself well to a live recording.



In general, I'd say that fans of We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things will definitely want to pick up Beautiful Mess if you're interested in hearing those songs fully realized in the live setting or look into Tonight Not Again if you're more interested in hearing what else Mraz has to offer (which is plenty). Past that, comparing the two DVDs really becomes a matter of apples and oranges so flip a coin, pick one up, then save your pennies and grab the other one when you can."

Perfect!

Be Happy | Pittsburgh, PA | 11/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jason and the entire band are simply incredible on Beautiful Mess! The CD is wonderful and the DVD is even better. I saw him when the Gratitude Cafe Tour came to Pittsburgh, PA - 2 days before the Chicago show was filmed for this CD/DVD. He is seriously one of the best live performers around and it's fun to relive such a great concert! I love watching him perform "Fall Through Glass" with Bushwalla (on the DVD only). Sunshine Song literally brought a tear to my eye the first time I heard it! A classic, The Boy's Gone, is fantastic!"

Amazing Mraz

Gift Recipent | Seattle, WA | 02/10/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of Mr AZ for quite a while now. This live CD is very enjoyable, I got it as a gift for my partner who is a HUGE fan. We both loved the DVD that accompanied it, as did the entire group of people that watched it with us. I would DEFINITELY recommend this CD to any Jason Mraz fan - new and old."