One can sympathize with Jason Mraz; he considers his best talent to be that of word play. And indeed, he apparently has an easy knack for tumbling syllables in interesting patterns. But when his first big radio single, "the Remedy," came out, apparently not enough people got the point, so Mraz feels it necessary to spell it out - listen, see, I'm all about word play! Again, one can sympathize; many people in the audience probably do miss the point (even popular artists are frequently and glaringly misunderstood) and well, many in the audience probably do need to be told. But as art, this doesn't go over so well - telling people what you are doing while you are doing it is a mannerist trait of immediate preciousness but not one of long-term artistic triumph. Mraz might do better to spin his syllables and catchy melodies and let them speak for themselves. His lyrics can be fun but sofar lack the power of a Bob Dylan or other masters. Mraz might want to wait a while and develop before he goes around boasting about his word play. Clever? Certainly. The wizard? Only in an environment where we need to be told what we are listening to.
