To the Sea

Jack Johnson’s states of soul

The 35 year old musician and surfer Jack Johnson is an example of wonderful consistency and confidence that his once chosen formula will always work. Learning to play guitar yet when a teenager Johnson later found in him an ability to compose soulful tunes and write lyrics in which he told about important things with simple words. A guitar and soft vocals have since become the main components of Jack’s music, and sometimes only pleasant percussions and some classic rock instruments can sound against their background. It goes without saying that his songs become popular in no time – memorable tunes and lyrics make them hits for really many people support this simple approach to music. Jack himself prefers not to invent anything new but just express his states of soul. Judging by his four albums these states are mostly rather calm, peaceful and quiet. Quite naturally that his fifth album To The Sea released this year is carried out in the same manner as the previous works: soft vocals, contagious guitars and interesting lyrics, telling of this Jack Johnson’s views on life and witnessing of his obviously strong beliefs...

Each track on To The Sea is good in its own way

No matter how you feel about soft rock Jack Johnson’s music will surely seem at least pretty to you: very harmonious sounding of a voice with rather wide range and quality accompaniment, light melodies, quite smart rhymes – all of it makes each of the artist’s works interesting and praise deserving. The record To The Sea is no exception in this respect – it is a collection of soft, laid-back, mostly mid-tempo compositions, opening with the first single You And Your Heart, optimistic, vivid and really summer-time. The title track can boast a memorable tune whereas the song No Good With Faces is refined with wonderfully beautiful accordion sounds contrasting with a spectacular bass line. On the whole it is hardly possible to name the best or the worst track among the album’s 14 tracks for each of them is good in its own way. Thus, a bit playful composition From The Clouds will make you smile at a nice love confession as well as a very soulful My Little Girl, performed only with the gentle acoustic guitar accompaniment, and Turn Your Love is refined with romantic female backing vocals. The most optimistic moment is The Upsetter, and the most philosophic one is Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology, besides, piano and a harmonica appear here. A wonderfully atmospheric song Only The Ocean will make you dream or remember the most pleasant life moments, and the closing live composition What You Thought You Need (Live From Yokohama) demonstrates that Jack’s voice sounds the same soulful from the stage and the audience is in love with him.

Introspection and coming back to oneself

When an artist knows form the start what his future album is going to be like it does not take much time to record it. Jack Johnson’s fifth album was recorded in three weeks only and the process took place at his two studios working with solar power, in Hawaii and Los-Angeles. By the way, this alternative power source showcases very well that Johnson strives at changing the world to the better or at least does what he definitely can do. The artist is a happy father of three children, and the album’s title To The Sea is also connected with children according to Jack himself. The singer was thinking about a father taking his son to the sea, besides, the sea and water symbolized the human conscious on the surface and the subconscious in its depth, so the title has to do with introspection and coming back to oneself. In general, Johnson’s music always pretends to be as simple as genius although sometimes his songs become too long and can make the listeners sleep. Nevertheless Back To Sea is a great summer record and even if you fall asleep listening to it one evening it is even better for your dreams are going to be happy and beautiful.