Jason Mraz: Waiting For My Rocket To Come : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

A twenty-five-year-old from Mechanicsville, Virginia, by way of the San Diego coffee house scene, Jason Mraz is not afraid to throw any number of styles onto his debut full-length, Waiting for My Rocket to Come. Garnering comparisons to the likes of Dave Matthews, Nick Drake, James Taylor and David Gray, Mraz's singularly rich voice soars to the rafters with its intensity and sincerity of delivery. Working alongside djembe drummer Toca Rivera, the raw, simple compositions on Waiting are nevertheless keenly crafted and full-bodied. Mraz has the cocksure swagger of Robbie Williams on "I'll Do Anything," a Fiona Apple-esque funky swing on "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" and the accompaniment of a banjo's twang on "Curbside Prophet." On the ballad-like "Who Needs Shelter" and "Absolutely Zero," Mraz swoops from lows to highs and back again with a haunting poignancy that simply makes you ache.

LILY MOAYERI
(October 15, 2002)