Album Review: Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through The Static"
Jack Johnson lives in Hawai'i with his wife and kids, loves the natural world, and makes a brand of laid back, mostly acoustic rock that's popular in local surf communities like Santa Barbara and Ventura in addition to being highly palatable for nearly all radio-cafe-mall playing. He also has been to Ojai to play Locally Grown 1.
Jack's fourth studio album, Sleep Through The Static, comes with this description:
My friends and I have just finished recording a new album called Sleep Through the Static. At this point in my life I weigh about 190 lbs and my ear hairs are getting longer. I also have a couple of kids. My wife popped them out, but I helped. Some of the songs on this album are about making babies. Some of the songs are about raising them. Some of the songs are about the world that these children will grow up in; a world of war and love, and hate, and time and space. Some of the songs are about saying goodbye to people I love and will miss.
Fans will recognize some of Jack's favorite themes - love, time, trees - returning, and along with the addition of Zach Gill on piano comes a new theme: keys. Jack uses them as a metaphor for everything from security to diplomacy, but without being cliche about it. One of the things that Jack's always been good at is taking a really honest look at our world and making earnestly musical prayers for how he'd like it to be based on those insights. People don't tend to brand him as an activist, but from making strong efforts to green his recording and touring (this album was recorded entirely on solar power), to creating a new social action network for helping communities connect and affect change, to writing increasingly clear lyrics about this war and President, Jack's voice for the health and safety of our planet and people is getting stronger.
Some examples
From the title track:
Who needs sleep when we've got love?
Who needs keys when we've got clubs?
Who needs please when we've got guns?
Who needs peace when we've gone above
and beyond where we should have gone?
From "Hope":
You don't always have to hold your head higher than your heart
From "Enemy":
I put hatred in a box then I locked it
The strongest one I made
I buried it all grew a tree without thorns
And sat beneath its shade
You might think I'm your enemy
But that don't make you mine
And all I have now is empathy
I wish that you'd stop trying
Oh please stop lying.
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Comments (6)
Jack Johnson is as boring as Nora Jones and a sad affront to all the great musicians who bring true passion to their work
Just more of the dumbing down and sonambulence of the American (and world wide) public
Comment #1 Posted by: El Anonimo | February 10, 2008 01:47 AM
Good music if you're stuck in an elevator though !
Comment #2 Posted by: Anonymous | February 10, 2008 03:41 PM
I like to listen to jack when I'm waxing up my 10 foot longboard up right before I go drop in on people with my aloha spirit!Then I hang out in the parking lot with all the other ho daddies trying to chat chicks up....NOT!
Comment #3 Posted by: Dr.Susio | February 11, 2008 08:22 AM
If Jack Johnson came to my house and asked me to have sex with him I would say yes and then we would cuddle afterward.
Comment #4 Posted by: Anonymous | February 13, 2008 06:24 PM
wow
what have YOU all accomplished and contributed lately?
Comment #5 Posted by: Anonymous | February 14, 2008 06:56 AM
Lots !
Comment #6 Posted by: Anonymous | February 14, 2008 07:57 AM