You “Aughta” Know: Jason Mraz, MR. A-Z

Welcome back to “You ‘Aughta’ Know,” where we take a look back at an album from the 2000s that was released on or around this day, and in this instance, our topic du jour is the sophomore LP from the singer-songwriter who’d provided listeners with “The Remedy” two years earlier.

Recorded at three different studios – Allaire Studios in Shokan, New York, Chez Mraz in San Diego, and Pulse Studios in Los Angeles – Jason Mraz’s MR. A-Z (see what he did there?) produced variously by Steve Lillywhite, Josh Deutsch, and Kevin Kadish. Given the top-notch production, it’s no surprise that it was filled with a number of high-profile studio folks, including Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., ?uestlove, Lyle Workman, and many more. 

Unfortunately, what the album didn’t provide was any singles that offered Mraz’s success with “The Remedy” any competition: of the three tunes released as singles, the only one to crack the Hot 100 at all was the first, “Wordplay,” which topped out at #81. It is notable, however, that the song features the knowing line, “The sophomore slump is an uphill battle.” 

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Despite the lack of hits, however, MR. A-Z proved to be a testament to just how much success Mraz had found with his debut: when it made its debut on the Billboard 200, it did so in the #5 spot.