Listening to Love is a Four Letter Word, the fourth studio album from acousto–pop–guru Jason Mraz, feels a little bit like getting wrapped in a fluffy blanket with a hodgepodge of vegan food products while being doused with a bucket of cold chamomile tea. True, Mraz has never been a heavy–hitting songwriter to begin with, but Love is so underwhelming and mellow it’s almost as if the CD itself should come packaged with Zoloft and rays of sunshine. The album has some redeeming moments (check the jazzy falsetto–lined “5/6” and the poignant “93 Million Miles”), but unless you’re already a fan, it may be tough to withstand all that heartbreak and over-the-top optimism in one sitting.
2/5 Stars
