Last night I had the good fortune of seeing Jason Mraz perform at Mercury Lounge. In addition to being Stevie's good friend, Jason is a very talented entertainer. Stevie had played Jason's music for me before, but my appreciation for it exploded upon seeing him live. His stage props are limited -- one guitar, one back up singer/djembe player (a curious character named Toca who sports a waist-long mane of black hair and wears sunglasses at night). These, and a perfect honey-sweet voice, are the only tools Jason needs to create a mosaic sound of folk-scat-pop.

Jason's songs are beautifully simple. His voice is gentle yet strong; his lyrics are poetic yet humorous. His "less is more" performance is replete with anecdotes between songs and playful bantering with Toca. With his red baseball cap atop his head and his Grand Old Opry t-shirt on his back, Jason looks a bit like the goofy kid that everyone loved in high school. And, according to Stevie, he was. Hopefully his label Elektra won't file him under "boy sensation"; with John Mayer and an enthusiastic gaggle of female devotees in attendance at Monday's show, one can see how easily it can happen. But Jason is so much more than a one-man-boy-band. He's an exceptionally talented artist who doesn't take himself as seriously as he takes his music -- important ingredients for a successful career, which Jason seems just on the verge of realizing.

Jason is touring across America now, and his studio album is scheduled for release on October 15. If you’re near a destination city on their itinerary, you are one of the fortunates who can experience both Jasons – the album Jason and the on-stage personality. Make sure you do both if you can.