Review Summary: Jack Johnson releases a straight forward, chilled out, fun collection of simply, quality songs.
I don’t understand some people’s obsession with technicality in music. I don’t think I ever will to be completely honest. Why should music have to have some degree of technicality to satisfy someone’s personal needs? Not that there’s anything wrong with anyone showing their maximum talent on their instrument, but sometimes I wonder, is a good song simply not enough? I know we live in a day and age where grand concept albums, and lightning fast instrumentals in a way, are often the most discussed among music fans. And in this frame of mind, I think some truly great albums that simply contain good music, albeit simple music gets lost in the shuffle. Perhaps the modern king of the mentality that the song is the only thing that really matters, is none other than Jack Johnson.
To some, Jack Johnson may just be another mellow, acoustic guitar slinging, soft spoken guy from California, and in some respects they may be right. At least that’s what he appears like on the surface. But to those he listen intently on Jack’s music, they will find that he can create some intricate guitar riffs on his acoustic, and his vocals mold to each song perfectly. No, you won’t find any tricks up his sleeve, there’s no real great message to all of his music except to chill out while listening, in your own personal way. And make no mistake about it, Jack’s third LP “In Between Dreams” will make you want to do nothing but relax.
While not being overbearing or aggressive, Jack Johnson shows the quality of his guitar playing on this album quite well. Take for instance the beautiful single note melody that opens “No Other Way”, wasting no time, he plays delicate but fitting chords and single note runs within the song. “Do You Remember?” continues with the single note riffs, and light melodies. It’s not really a highlight, but a nice representation of the album as a whole. “Good People” is similar, except it opens with a bit more of a bluesy riff. Everything else remains though, the feel good lyrics, simple rhythm backing, and light, airy mood that the rest of the album carries. “Breakdown” is another delicate, beautiful song in its own right, with Jack hammering out an opening chord progression on a ukulele which gives the song an original flavor. The lyrics are quite good on this number, and deal with (as many Jack Johnson songs do), the simple, perfect nature of relaxation and observation of everyday things. We can easily see how Jack makes each song fairly similar to each other, but the subtle differences keep your attention, and show you that he really is quite varied in his work.
The hits off the album hold up well in the quality department as well. “Banana Pancakes”, a song I’m sure everyone on here has heard, features a breezy, jazzy, chord progression. The groove of Jack’s voice fits nicely around everything, and creates one of the best songs on the album. “Better Together” is equally as good, and is pretty much a straight up love song. Nothing is really original with this tune, but the easy to follow melodies, and light hearted love oriented lyrics make it a song worth listening to more than once, just because of the fun factor involved. “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” is one of the best songs on the album. Again, simplicity is the key here, the chorus of the song greatly differs from the main verse, opting for a more minor sounding vocal melody, which creates a wonderful contrast.
Some of the song have some varying sounds which set them apart from the of the album. “Staple It Together” goes for a Reggae vibe, and gives Jack a chance to show off his rather well developed electric guitar skills. This funky track is a nice change of pace from all of the acoustic work we’ve heard thus far, and is certainly worth multiple listens. “If I Could” features a simple harmonica, and Congo drums in the background, and although not a highlight, keeps the album flowing nicely. “Confused” shows off a disjointed bassline, and some nice percussion throughout, showing Jack can vary his sound, but still remain with the same chilled out mood as the rest of the album.
So what is left to say about “In Between Dreams”, except that is accomplishes exactly what it sets out to. Simplicity is a recurring theme that you recognize right away from listening to this release. As I’ve said earlier, there’s no surprises about this album, nothing you have to figure out or contemplate, what you see is what you get. Perhaps you’ll put this album on before you go to sleep, or when you’re lounging outside in your yard, when you’re not doing any complicated. After all, Jack Johnson doesn’t claim to be a complicated musician, and listening to this album, its probably better off that he isn’t.
