CD: "Mr. A-Z" by Jason Mraz; Elektra/Wea

Release: July 26

Style: Rock

My take: Back in 2002, there was this rising star who was getting a lot of attention because of his distinct sound, girls liking his look and his habit of wearing trucker hats. Of course, that star was Jason Mraz.

His debut release, "Waiting for My Rocket to Come," displayed Mraz's upbeat, folk-based pop/rock and affinity for wordplay, and won over enough of an audience to hit gold status. In a time when music could be gloomy and taken too seriously, Mraz injected some fun into the scene.

For his second album, "Mr. A-Z," the singer got rid of the trucker hat and, surprisingly, the upbeat sound that made him famous in favor of somber songs that reveal a more vulnerable — and ironically more assured, even cocky — side of Mraz, whose way with words was kept intact.

There are a couple of exceptions, such as "Wordplay." The song is an explanation of how Mraz writes songs and how hard it is to pen a hit for your second album. It's a true example of narcissism — tongue in cheek, perhaps a little too firmly.

Another exception is "Geek in the Pink," Mraz's laughable attempt to rap. The track begins with someone referring to him as "Mr. A-Z" and has the impossibly lame line: "I can save you from unoriginal dum-dums/Who couldn't care less if you come ... plete them or not." If that's a joke, it's on him.

But most of the album features slower songs, with Mraz playing acoustic guitar. Not a bad thing, by any means, but possibly bad news for fans who considered "You and I Both" slow.

One standout track from the slow collection is the album's opener, "Life is Wonderful," which displays Mraz's ability to form interesting lyrical juxtapositions and the truly insightful line: "It takes no time to fall in love / But it takes you years to know what love is."

Another noteworthy song is "Plane," which has vivid imagery and a great narrative, despite a creepy chorus with Mraz saying he'd take comfort in seeing his lover's house from his window even if the plane crashed.

Comparing "Waiting for My Rocket to Come" to "Mr. A-Z" would be unfair, considering the approach to each recording was so different. This time around, Mraz wasn't itching to be famous, because he already was, and wanted to reward himself for it.

What results is an album in which Mraz writes music for and names an album after himself, and if you want to listen, so be it. Die-hard Mraz fans will enjoy it, but those looking for solid, folk-based, acoustic rock will be better off listening to Jack Johnson.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College and editor of the college's newspaper, Ka 'Ohana.