| | Full Review | Ratings (165) |
Give your Rating |
| 2.5 average | Aids | December 26th 10 |
holy man that is a huge soundoff.
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.0 poor | lz41 | March 27th 13 |
Utterly unremarkable and sadly unambitious in structure, sound and lyrics. Just far too safe.
Bump |
| 2.0 poor | raggedragamuffin | November 9th 11 |
I think I might have overdosed on Jack Johnson. There was a couple year period where I listened to him ALL of the time. He was laid back, his lyrics were accessible, he was catchy, and it was nice to break out the guitar and always have "Banana Pancakes" in my back pocket to play for girls. This album features more or less the same old songs. They just aren't new, fresh, inspired, catchy, or even that good anymore. I try to be fair and weigh my overall disenchantment with Jack into the equation. But still, this album is found wanting.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | dlog3 | December 26th 10 |
I discovered Jack Johnson out of order. First the simple sweet melodies of "In Between Dreams," then the subtle "On and On," followed by hiccup "Sleep Through the Static" and the classic "Brushfire Fairytales." This strange sequence of discovery gives me a unique perspective on Johnson's music, but I do agree with the general consensus that "Sleep Through the Static" was a mess, only giving rise to a few good tunes. I had high expectations for "To The Sea" and I was not disappointed. This album is everything it's predecessor wanted to be. It combined elements that worked for Johnson in the past (simple melodies, love songs, songs about the family, etc.) and also added the electric factor that was flubbed on "STTS." The first song, the poppy "You and Your Heart" was the first single off of the album. It opened up the album (and the Johnson concert I attended. more on that later) with one of the years best riffs, simultaneously airy and edgy. The lyrics deal pretty simply with issues of conscience, but the song is presented in such a fun way it takes any heaviness off of the topic. The next song, title track "To The Sea" is a good song with a complex message. However, for me lyrics take a back seat on this song and the guitar takes center stage. Johnson throws in a completely unexpected Hendrix/Mayer-esque guitar solo that fits well and proves that the man can shred. "No Good With Faces," is the first track to not impress me, seeming like a stowaway from "STTS," but things pick up quickly with the second single "At or With Me," a high energy, paranoid jam-fest featuring Jack's good buddy G. Love on the harmonica. This is feel good music at its best. The next track, "When I Look Up" is a very nice song. Johnson duets with fellow Hawaiian Paula Fuga, but there is one flaw. The song at only 58 seconds seems to be more of an interlude. "From the Clouds" introduces another great riff to the album as Johnson continues to flex the guitar skills. "My Little Girl" and "Turn Your Love" are both solid songs, the latter including another appearance from Fuga. "The Upsetter" kicks off with a bouncy percussive lick and incorporates another impressive solo from Johnson, maybe trying to shed his mellow man image. "Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology" helps him shed that image, yet another electric guitar driven stompfest with G. Love. "Pictures of People Taking Pictures" and "Anything But The Truth" float by harmlessly, but the album ends strong with a tribute to Johnson's father and his solo journey from California to Hawaii on "Only The Ocean." Much of the album was inspired by Jack's dad, the late Jeff Johnson. To adress the concert comment, this album provides the positive electric energy ("Sleep Through The Static" was a somber and melancholy electric mess) that makes Johnson concerts high energy, up-out-of-your-seat, dancing events. I hope that this marks the begininning of a new era for Jack Johnson and his music, because if it does, things are looking up.
Bump |
| 1.5 very poor | El Olam | June 24th 23 |
| 2.5 average | JNeu | July 1st 19 |
| 2.5 average | Project | February 11th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | tidal | May 7th 16 |
| 3.0 good | dan2309 | September 26th 14 |
| 3.5 great | sws99 | January 29th 14 |
| 3.0 good | eazye | November 10th 13 |
| 3.5 great | vai90 | November 5th 13 |
| 2.5 average | SMK | September 9th 13 |
| 3.0 good | KeiRei | December 23rd 12 |
| 3.0 good | balazs | October 27th 12 |
| 3.0 good | bleath | August 15th 12 |
| 2.0 poor | DRWND | April 25th 12 |
| 2.5 average | tables | February 2nd 12 |
| 3.0 good | iSkane | February 1st 12 |
| 2.5 average | pcar | September 4th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | x2468 | August 26th 11 |
| 2.5 average | tvol | May 3rd 11 |
| 3.0 good | Jdok | April 27th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Bog91 | March 9th 11 |
| 3.0 good | perlox | February 24th 11 |
| 3.5 great | pj1617 | February 14th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Antics | December 14th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | asw92090 | November 12th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Edub991 | September 6th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | sahil28 | June 20th 10 |
| 2.5 average | mvdu | June 3rd 10 |
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