Nov 25

So, Jason Mraz has finally had his arm twisted and planned a release I’m Yours as a single, the only problem is, he allowed his nan to knit it a woolly jumper before giving it to the radio stations.

I’ve known about the song for some time now, and along with I’m At Peace by Justin Nozuka, and Use Somebody by Kings of Leon, is one of my girlfriends and I’s songs. Call me soppy, but every couple has them!

The original version of I’m Yours is a prepossessing love song, with delicately stretched vocals permeating a sincerity that both his adversaries and his very own redraft fail to deliver.

The same version that sweeps me in to a hazy delirium each and every time it projects my beautiful girlfriends face on to the canvas of my mind, was stripped down to a naked inflection of purity, just Jason Mraz, his classical guitar, and the veracity of the persona that oozes from his words.

Now, the problem Mr Mraz faces, forgetting the impossible-to-avoid questions regarding the pronunciation of his surname, is that in re-writing and subsequently releasing I’m Yours with such a cutesy, wishy-washy backing track, he has cornered himself in to a market that contains just Jack Johnson and himself (there are others of course, but not on such a commercial scale), and I have a feeling I’m far from the only person that’s grown a little tired of Mr Johnson’s perfect little life with his perfect little wife. I can imagine him tumbling down a flight of stairs only to land on a cushion his telepathic wife had laid down to mitigate his fall…made of platinum…with the cure for AIDS accidentally sewn in to the seam…by Elvis.

Its not a jealousy thing, my life is good, and I’m extremely happy with my lot, but do you know the guys at the first day of University who tell you all about their “Twin-Turbo Super Car with an amazing sound system with sub-waffles blah blah blah”, their model girlfriend, and the fact their dad came first in 15-to-1 ten years ago? Well, that was probably Jack Johnson’s modest cousin.

Now, back to Jason Mraz, and more to the point, his single I’m Yours. I do wonder what my opinion would be if I hadn’t of heard the original before, or if it hadn’t struck such a romantic chord with my girlfriend and myself, but ultimately, I believe the song has been weakened in trying to reach a wider audience, and perhaps, if he hadn’t taken assumptions about the wider audiences intelligence, they too would have preferred to buy the original.

I love the song, in both formats, but the revision and addition of generic drums etc has been detrimental to the overall ‘feel’ of the song. Whereas with the original you felt like you were a voyeur, sneaking through his garden bushes to watch him serenade his girlfriend, now it just feels like you’re watching him play a gig at a festival, with no girlfriend in sight, and his PR boss telling him to pull his jeans up.

Oct 20

I’m ashamed to admit that Justin Nozuka first came on to my radar only this spring through a friend of mine, who always seems to be first in queue when artists of his nature appear. Blending a warm sound of neo-soul, acoustic pop, and a touch of good-old melancholic balladry, he should perhaps appeal more to the female half of our population, but he carries a sincerity, if a little too sickeningly sweet at times, that infuses each song with the integrity of someone that has loved.

There are plenty of artists out there of a similar vain, but few have his melodies, his voice, or his simplistic brilliance. ‘After Tonight’, a US hit as a single, is a quite brilliant love-song that will have you singing even if you’re a body-building meat-head that likes to frequent Miami Beach greased-up like a thanksgiving turkey, but even this gets surpassed by the solicitously beautiful ‘I’m At Peace’.

‘I’m At Peace’ is Nozuka’s greatest achievement from the marvelous album “Holly”, an 11-track tour of his heart, soul, and mind. A gentle man through his songs, I would dearly love to have 5 minutes with the man behind the music to find out truly what sort of character he is. It’s impossible to imagine someone can write the lyrics below to be anything other than genuinely affable and sincere.

I’m In Peace

(Verse 1)
It always occurs to me, how lovely you look today
Just how you smile that way, makes my heart melt
Seemed like just yesterday, when you stole my breath away
You walked into my life, you completed my soul
When you walked into my life, you completed my soul

(Chorus)
I’m in peace,
I’m in peace,
I’m in peace when I am with you
You set me free; you’re all I need,
Lift me off my feet, beauty queen

(Verse 2)
Where did you find that soul of yours
You must have traveled through heaven, and searched through the garden of love
I swear there’s a light, when your eyes touch me
It’s like the sun reaching down from the sky
When you touch me with your eyes,
it’s like the sun from the sky

(Chorus)
(Bridge)
Your whispering,
it’s uplifting,
Sink into my body while I’m drifting
When you kiss me, really truly kiss me
Connected by our hearts, we are one

(Chorus)

Justin Nozuka is half Japanese, half American. Raised by his single mother in Toronto, following a brief stay in New York at the start of his life. He is the sixth of seven children, five of whom are boys, and his four brothers all carry an artistic flair of some variety.

Still a young developing career, he has toured with Ziggy Marley, Xavier Rudd, John Cale, and Crowded House among others, but it will surely not be long before he is the main attraction to the future Nozukas supporting act.

The following snapshots of critiques are taken from his website, which freely gives you the opportunity to listen to four tracks, two of which are the aforementioned ‘After Tonight’, and ‘I’m At Peace’.

“In his debut album “Holly”, Justin Nozuka has created eleven impressive pieces of thoughtful acoustic-soul. Filled with understated melodies, minimal production and an interesting, sometimes dark take on song-craft…4 Stars.” — BBC

“Superior acoustic soul. .4 Stars.” — Q Magazine, UK

“…Nozuka is producing material that is unlike any other singer songwriters - and consequently is beyond genre definition. Largely, it is one man and his faithful guitar - but with a voice like his, there really is no need for any other instrumentation. In truth it would only get in the way. 4 Stars.” — Belfast Daily Telegraph

“Nozuka seemed very modest, but there was absolutely no reason. He had every eye on him and it was nearly impossible to look away. Every song seemed to outdo the one before it, and when he quietly walked off, we were all aching for more.” –Chartattack.com

There are very few artists that truly slap me around the face these days, with so much diluted, synthesised, mumbled, messy hip-hop orientated bile polluting the industry (Theres a rant for another day!), but Justin Nozuka is one man, no, one sound that has wrapped me up and sold me 100% on its offerings. If you’re a fan of Jon Mayer, or even Dashboard Confessional, I implore you to go to his website and listen to the available songs, and if you’re not convinced after that, you need to check your pulse.