Mr. A–Z

Mr. A–Z
Mr. A–Z
Studio album by Jason Mraz
Released	July 26, 2005
Recorded	2004–2005
Studio	Allaire Studios (Shokan, New York); Chez Mraz (San Diego, California); Pulse Studios (Los Angeles, California);
Genre	Pop rock;
Length	54:25
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Steve Lillywhite; Josh Deutsch; Kevin Kadish;
Jason Mraz chronology
Singles from Mr. A–Z
	"Wordplay"; Released: May 29, 2005; "Geek in the Pink"; Released: March 6, 2006;

Mr. A–Z is the second album by the American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on July 26, 2005. It is the follow-up to his first album Waiting for My Rocket to Come, released in 2002. Even with mixed reviews, it was a moderate commercial success and debuted at number 5 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. It was recognized for mixing many different genres of music together.^{[citation needed]}

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	58/100^[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Entertainment Weekly	C+^[3]
The Guardian	^[4]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)	^[5]
MusicOMH	^[6]
PopMatters	3/10^[7]
Rolling Stone	^[8]
Slant Magazine	^[9]

It was nominated by the Recording Academy for best engineered album, and the producer Steve Lillywhite, who previously worked with U2, Dave Matthews Band and The Rolling Stones, won for Producer of the Year, but not for his work on Mr. A–Z.^{[citation needed]} The name of the album is a play on the artist's surname, "Mraz".

An opera solo performed by Mraz himself can be found on the track "Mr. Curiosity". In March 2010, this song charted in Germany after it had been performed by Lena Meyer-Landrut in the talent show contest Unser Star für Oslo (Our Star for Oslo), reaching a peak position of number 44.^[10]

Formats

In the United States and Europe, the album was released both as a CD and as a DualDisc. The DualDisc version has enhanced packaging and an extra booklet.^[11]

In July 2022, the album was reissued for the first time on vinyl, pressed to 2 LPs on both black and limited edition translucent blue vinyl versions.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Life Is Wonderful"	Jason Mraz	4:20
2.	"Wordplay"	Jason Mraz, Kevin Kadish	3:06
3.	"Geek in the Pink"	Jason Mraz, Kevin Kadish, Scott Storch, Ian Sheridan	3:55
4.	"Did You Get My Message? (feat. Rachael Yamagata)"	Jason Mraz, Dan Wilson	4:00
5.	"Mr. Curiosity"	Jason Mraz, Dennis Morris, Lester Mendez	3:54
6.	"Clockwatching"	Jason Mraz, Dennis Morris, Ainslie Henderson	4:23
7.	"Bella Luna"	Jason Mraz, Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood	5:02
8.	"Plane"	Jason Mraz, Dennis Morris	5:13
9.	"O. Lover"	Jason Mraz, Dennis Morris	3:54
10.	"Please Don't Tell Her"	Jason Mraz, Eric Hinojosa	4:40
11.	"The Forecast"	Jason Mraz, Eric Hinojosa	3:44
12.	"Song for a Friend"	Jason Mraz, Dan Wilson, Dennis Morris, Eric Hinojosa	8:09

Bonus Tracks
No.	Title	Length
13.	"Geek in the Pink (Lillywhite Remix)" (iTunes Bonus Track)	3:56
14.	"Rocket Man (Acoustic Demo)" (U.S. and International iTunes Bonus Track)	3:35
15.	"Burning Bridges (Unreleased Demo)" (International iTunes Bonus Track)	3:49
16.	"Prettiest Friend (Demo)" (International iTunes Bonus Track)	4:19

2022 2xLP Deluxe Vinyl Edition
No.	Title	Length
17.	"Life Is Wonderful (Instrumental)" (Vinyl Bonus Track)
18.	"Geek in the Pink (Instrumental – Lillywhite Mix)" (Vinyl Bonus Track)
19.	"Bella Luna (Instrumental)" (Vinyl Bonus Track)
20.	"Song for a Friend (Instrumental)" (Vinyl Bonus Track)

Personnel

Jason Mraz – lead vocals on all tracks, acoustic guitar on all tracks, electric guitar on all tracks

Additional personnel^[12]

Ian Sheridan – bass guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4
Bill Bell – guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4
Adam King – drums on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4
Eric Hinojosa – keyboards on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4, programming on track 8
Raul Rekow – congas on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, percussion on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Karl Perazzo – timbales on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, percussion on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Jack Daley – bass guitar on track 2
Lyle Workman – electric guitar on tracks 2 and 3, Dobro resonator guitar on tracks 2 and 3
Nir "Nir Z" Zidkyahu – drums on track 2
Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – keyboards on track 2 and 3, Moog bass synthesizer on track 3
Bashiri Johnson – percussion on track 2
Mike Elizondo – bass guitar on track 3
Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson – drums on track 3
Steve Sidelnyk – programming on track 3
DJ Bob Necksnapp – scratching and mixing on track 3
Bushwalla – spoken word on track 3
Noel "Toca" Rivera – backing vocals on tracks 4, 10 and 11
Nicole Bayer – cello on track 5

Roxanne Oldham – backing vocals on track 6
Danielle Decker – backing vocals on track 6
Raul Midón – classical guitar on track 7, electric guitar on track 12, faux horn on track 12, backing vocals on track 12
Charlie Mingroni – spoken word on track 8
Dennis Morris – programming on track 9
Lee Davis High School Choir – choir vocals on track 12
Steve Lilywhite – backing vocals on track 6, production on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, mixing on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Carl Glanville – engineering on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, mixing on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Scott Moore – backing vocals on track 6, engineering assistance on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Matthew Cullen – engineering assistance on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Josh Deutsch – castanets on track 2, production on tracks 2 and 3, executive production on all tracks
Kevin Kadish – acoustic guitar on track 2, production on tracks 2 and 3
Samuel "Vaughn" Merrick – engineering on tracks 2 and 3
David Thoener – mixing on track 2
Jim Scott – mixing on track 3
Ted Jensen – mastering on all tracks

Charts

Chart (2005)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[13]	5

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[14]	Gold	500,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "Mr. A-Z by Jason Mraz". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mr. A-Z - Jason Mraz". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
^ Willman, Chris (July 25, 2005). "MR. A-Z". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
^ Sullivan, Caroline (January 27, 2006). "CD: Jason Mraz, MR A-Z". The Guardian. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
^ Christgau, Robert (August 1, 2008). "Consumer Guide: August 2008". MSN Music. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
^ McKinlay, Fiona (February 6, 2006). "Jason Mraz - Mr A-Z". musicOMH. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
^ Cober-Lake, Justin (September 14, 2005). "Jason Mraz: Mr. A-Z". PopMatters. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
^ Sheffield, Rob (August 11, 2005). "Reviews". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. pp. 74–75.
^ Keefe, Jonathan (August 5, 2005). "Jason Mraz Mr. A-Z". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
^ "German Single Charts positions Jason Mraz".
^ "Jason Mraz: Mr. A-Z: Dualdisc/Lmtd Ed". Zia. Retrieved April 2, 2016. The dualdisc includes the entire album, 20 minute DVD documentary, photo gallery, full lyrics, and 36-page personal journal with exclusive polaroids.
^ Mr. A–Z (liner notes). Jason Mraz. Atlantic. 2006. CD 83833.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Jason Mraz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
^ "American album certifications – Jason Mraz – Mr. A-Z". Recording Industry Association of America.

[1] "Mr. A-Z by Jason Mraz". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 17, 2017.

[AllMusic_review-2] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mr. A-Z - Jason Mraz". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2016.

[3] Willman, Chris (July 25, 2005). "MR. A-Z". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 5, 2018.

[4] Sullivan, Caroline (January 27, 2006). "CD: Jason Mraz, MR A-Z". The Guardian. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[5] Christgau, Robert (August 1, 2008). "Consumer Guide: August 2008". MSN Music. Retrieved January 5, 2018.

[6] McKinlay, Fiona (February 6, 2006). "Jason Mraz - Mr A-Z". musicOMH. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[7] Cober-Lake, Justin (September 14, 2005). "Jason Mraz: Mr. A-Z". PopMatters. Retrieved September 17, 2017.

[RS081105-8] Sheffield, Rob (August 11, 2005). "Reviews". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. pp. 74–75.

[9] Keefe, Jonathan (August 5, 2005). "Jason Mraz Mr. A-Z". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[10] "German Single Charts positions Jason Mraz".

[11] "Jason Mraz: Mr. A-Z: Dualdisc/Lmtd Ed". Zia. Retrieved April 2, 2016. The dualdisc includes the entire album, 20 minute DVD documentary, photo gallery, full lyrics, and 36-page personal journal with exclusive polaroids.

[12] Mr. A–Z (liner notes). Jason Mraz. Atlantic. 2006. CD 83833.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[ac_Billboard200_Jason_Mraz-13] "Jason Mraz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2016.

[United_StatesJason_MrazMr._A-ZalbumCertRef-14] "American album certifications – Jason Mraz – Mr. A-Z". Recording Industry Association of America.

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