It's really hard to find a good album from a young artist these days. If you don't know what you're looking for, you can find a lot of popular crap. You never have to worry about that with Mraz.

Live at Java Joe's is a real treasure. Mraz is a brilliant songwriter and you can really relate to him on this album. He's not (yet) my favorite artist of all time, but he's certainly the best live performer out there. No, his sets don't sound like his studio recordings-they're worlds better. On Java Joe's, you get that flavor without audience interference. I don't know how he got such a perfect recording, but he did.

Mraz's talent shines through on old favorites like "You and I Both." The live version is energized and free, unlike the studio recording. "Sleep All Day" with the "At Last" intro is absolutely brilliant. By far, my favorite track on this album is "0% Interest," but that's just because I have a personal bias toward that song. His guitar playing is brilliant as always, and his talent and love for vocal jazz music also graces this CD.

It doesn't matter if you're an old Mraz fan or if you only know him by his radio hits; you've got to own this album.

Best lyric: "There's something in the way you laugh that makes me feel like a child." (After an Afternoon)

I am going to say straight out that I am a true Mraz junkie, so I just didn't feel my library of his gems was complete without this particular recording. Wow, I was so right about that. Java Joes is where it all started out for Jason Mraz. Recorded in 2001 at Java Joes, a coffeehouse in California, this live acoustic CD features Jason on guitar and Toca Rivera on percussion. I love the intimacy of this recording. The banter that goes on between songs makes me feel like I am right there and that he is singing to me. I especially enjoy this version of "Sleep All Day" (my favorite song) where he starts off by singing the classic "At Last" and then smoothly moves on into "Sleep All Day."

If you are a Mraz fan, I consider this an imperative part of your collection. For those of you just delving into Mraz, get Waiting For My Rocket to Come and Tonight Not Again-Live at Eagles Ballroom first. These two discs, but especially the Eagles Ballroom one, will give you a good idea of just how amazingly talented and versatile this guy is. I bet you will soon be ordering Java Joes after that!

I ordered this from jason's website after wearing out my copy of "waiting for my rocket" and needing a jason fix before the new live cd/dvd came out. as with "waiting for my rocket", i cannot get enough of the tracks on this cd. i commute from orange county to san diego, and i listen to this cd each way both times, with a few listens in between on my computer at work.

jason could sing the san diego county phone book and i'd buy the cd (and play it over and over...) after hearing "waiting for my rocket...", this cd seems raw, but in a good way. jason's vocal range and strength really hit deep; he sings with great emotion (but not in a sappy way). at the same time, you can tell he is a riot to hang with.

whereas several songs on "waiting for my rocket..." have more of a hip-hop feel, "live at java joe's" is acoustic, with more primitive african beats (akin to those in paul simon's "you can call me 'al'"), and also has a touch of something that vaguely reminds me of david gray.

like They Might Be Giants, jason has a way of crafting songs that imprint "audio tattoos" on my brain and stay with me even in my sleeping hours. lots of people write about his wonderful songwriting, and i agree. however, i'm surprisingly drawn to a lot of the songs where he is just vocalizing but not singing anything in particular. normally, that stuff annoys me, but he does it so well.

buy this cd now!

1. Running

2. Did I fool ya?

3. Little you and I

4. You and I both

5. 1,000 things

6. Unfold

7. Dreamlife of Rand McNally

8. Halfway home

9. Bright eyes

10. After an afternoon

11. Conversation with myself

12. Common pleasure

13. 0% interest

14. At last/sleep all day

15. Hey love

I have been a Jason Mraz fan for a long time. I never get tired of listening to Live at the Eagles Ballroom or Mr. A-Z. Ever since I bought Live at Java Joe's, My IPod has barely been shut off for 5 minutes! His voice is so melodic and pure. I love that it is just Jason and Toca on this CD. Jason's voice isn't hiddden in the music of the guitars, etc. It's just Jason. If you are a fan, even if you aren't, you need to have this CD in your collection.