Jack Johnson

With scarcely more than campfire chords and an enigmatically chillaxed persona, Jack Johnson has thrived, issuing the same lovely and lazy ethos again and again. Sleep Through the Static is notable for its sonic and thematic departures: bigger textures, full-time keys and electric guitar accompany a slightly more somber worldview that seems to, at least occasionally, contemplate life beyond his well-loved shores. Tunes like "They Do, They Don't," "Sleep Through The Static" and "All At Once" are tranquil protest songs, but the gentlest moments, like "Same Girl" or "Go On," might still be his most poignant.

Jack Johnson may be a former pro surfer, but he ain't no Beach Boy. Where the songs of
Brian Wilson (who never actually surfed, remember) celebrate the rush and exuberant
triumph of catching a wave, Johnson draws on the sport's solitary, Zen-like side — the
gentle, rolling rhythms of his music match his simple, nature-inspired language. Over the
course of three platinum albums, plus the bulk of the chart-topping 2006 soundtr... More >