Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams

We transition from a pop icon to probably the biggest 'mood' act this side of a guy named Mayer. I've always had some sort of soft spot for Jack Johnson's laid back, island music. Not entirely sure why, but there are weeks or months at a time when I find his music to be so calming and fun - and exactly what I need to survive life in general. Okay, that's overboard - but you get the point. 'In Between Dreams' was his third studio release, and it came out in 2005. It's a very respectable 2x platinum in the states, which makes it his best selling effort of all time. It's certainly not my favorite by him, but I can understand why it is others'. The cover art is a depiction of a mango tree, which is in reference to a mango tree outside of Brushfire Records where the album was recorded. There is also a reference to the same mango tree in the widely popular track 'Better Together'. I'm probably going to go all homer here because of my soft spot, but I really enjoy this. There are a couple quite amazing tracks on this record - ones that I feel anyone can enjoy. I think the positive to music like Mr. Johnson is - it's music for anyone. Doesn't matter your color, background or taste, I think if you're in a relaxing mood, this music is perfect for you. And when I was in Hawaii a couple years ago, this would have been a great soundtrack to just sit by the ocean and relax (which sounds amazing right now). Good voice, good acoustic guitar - good times. Give it a whirl.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Better Together
2. Never Know
3. Banana Pancakes
4. Good People
5. No Other Way
6. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
7. Staple It Together
8. Situations
9. Crying Shame
10. If I Could
11. Breakdown
12. Belle
13. Do You Remember
14. Constellations

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. No Other Way
2. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
3. Good People

FINAL RATING:
3.5 out of 5 stars

Jack Johnson - To The Sea

It's a triple review day on the B Side, with a second edition of New Music Tuesday. I figured since it was a long holiday weekend, I can repay the readers with an extra review! And it so happens that one of my favorite 'mood' genre acts has another drop today. If you can recall, I reviewed Mr. Johnson's 'Brushfire Fairytales' a couple months ago. While I love that album, a couple of this other studio releases were misses for me. This one reverts right back into Fairytale quality. Superior acoustics and vocals on a number of tracks makes this a must listen. In January Johnson reported that they entered the studio to begin work on a new album, and on February 1st they announced that their currently untitled fifth studio album was slated for a June 1st release, to be followed by a world tour. The album was recorded over three weeks in Johnson's two solar-powered studios, The Mango Tree in Hawaii and the Solar Powered Plastic Plant in Los Angeles. And how neat is that? When asked about the album title, his comment to press was, "I guess it's a reference to a father leading his son to the sea, with the water representing the subconscious. So it's about trying to go beneath the surface and understand yourself." As I stated earlier, check this one out. If you're a Jack fan, you'll love it.

TRACK LISTING:
1. You and Your Heart
2. To the Sea
3. No Good With Faces
4. At or With Me
5. When I Look Up
6. From the Clouds
7. My Little Girl
8. Turn Your Love
9. Upsetter, The
10. Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology
11. Pictures of People Taking Pictures
12. Anything But the Truth
13. Only the Ocean

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. You And Your Heart
2. Anything But The Truth
3. To The Sea

FINAL RATING:
3.5 out of 5 stars

Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales

Keeping with the spirit of spanning genres, here's another mood type guy in Jack Johnson. Now, the challenge can sometimes come when I'm not in that certain mood for music but try to review it anyway - and today is that type of day. I really enjoy Mr. Johnson's work, but not really in that mode this morning. Anyhow...this is a pretty solid record. It's got two of my favorite Jack tracks, and this album seems less poppy then others. I've always liked his laid back approach to music, and that he never really puts anything out there that makes you scratch your head and wonder what he was thinking. As far as this genre goes, Johnson and John Mayer are probably the kings of record sales and probably one of few people you've even heard of when it comes to this stuff. I guess Coldplay fits here too...but they span into that pop category as well - especially current music. Regardless, check out Fairytales and I think you'll be surprised. If you're a Jack fan, you may already know a couple tracks here, but if you've never heard his stuff - keep an open mind and play it through. You'll at least find one or two that get you going.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Inaudible Melodies
2. Middle Man
3. Posters
4. Sexy Plexi
5. Flake
6. Bubble Toes
7. Fortunate Fool
8. News, The
9. Drink the Water
10. Mudfootball
11. F-Stop Blues
12. Losing Hope
13. It's All Understood

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. It's All Understood
2. Flake
3. Posters

FINAL RATING:
3.75 out of 5 stars