MOONSHINE CONSPIRACY / UNIVERSAL
Jack Johnson's "On and On" continues in the same vein as his first, with music that transcends commercial boundaries.
Johnson goes
‘On and On’This time the Haleiwa-born
singer-songwriter and filmmaker
is backed by UniversalJack Johnson, the Haleiwa born and raised surfer, filmmaker, singer and songwriter, returned home last August to record his second album, in a reconverted garage whimsically called The Mango Tree.
Unlike his first album, the 2001 indie "Brushfire Fairytales" that enjoyed word-of-mouth, platinum-selling success, his sophomore effort, "On and On," has a little more riding on it, as it's being backed by the corporate giant Universal (The Moonshine Conspiracy imprint is co-owned by Johnson). Even though expectations have grown, you'd be hardpressed to find it in Johnson's music. It's still as stripped-down and down-home groovy as his debut.
"On and On"
Jack Johnson
Moonshine Conspiracy / Universal
Beastie Boys producer Mario Caldato Jr. takes over producer duties from Ben Harper producer and manager J.P. Plumier on "On and On" (good friend Harper will occasionally hook up with Johnson on his first United States headlining tour starting next week). Caldato abides by Johnson's usually laidback and loose, funky lope, on 16 tracks that play more like tone poems than structured songs.
JOHNSON LAST PLAYED before the homefolk in December 2001 at World Cafe, and one of the new songs he debuted then, titled "Times Like These," kicks off the disc. It's a short, Zen-like meditative song, with Johnson gently singing lines "what will be, will be, and so it goes" and "somehow I know it'll never be the same."
His supportive rhythmmates, Merlo Podlewski and Adam Topol, are still with him, and the three have a nice chemistry bubbling between them, as heard in the collaborative "Wasting Time."
The deceptively laconic feel of the album very much reflects how it was recorded. Speaking to ICE magazine, Johnson said, "We'd usually spend only half the day inside. I'm never very comfortable in the studio setting -- I don't spend much time indoors. So we'd go for a swim or surf in the morning, record for a few hours, then we'd go back outside for the evening and back into the studio for the night. When we finished, it didn't feel like we had even started yet; we were still goofing around."
Somewhere between those playful, North Shore-lifestyle moments, some fine tunes took blossom in The Mango Tree. Naturally respectful of the environment, Johnson spins a couple of quiet, cautionary tales in "The Horizon Has Been Defeated" and "Traffic in the Sky." He gets a nice lyric flow going on the acoustic "Gone" and the closing "Symbol in My Driveway" is awash in the sounds of the surf, stray and friendly voices, a strumming guitar and the gentle pats of a hand drum that evokes chill-out time at dusk on the beach.
Johnson even reworks his first hit "Rodeo Clowns," covered by Philly's own G. Love & Special Sauce, and sounding very tasty with an organic, Latin lilt to it.
His guitar playing has strengthened since we last heard him: A neatly picked acoustic line opens "Taylor," his song about a couple of lost souls that have wandered into his life, and the reverb-filled electric guitar heard in the circular "Mediocre Bad Guys."
While "Cookie Jar" (played with a hint of reggae) is probably Johnson's most substantial song -- a gentle social commentary on how blameless excuses make us all irresponsible -- it's "Cocoon" that's a small wonder of a tune. Opening with a slack-key inspired guitar figure, Johnson shows how his easy caress of a voice can have an appealing vulnerability at times, especially on this plain-speaking, heart-on-sleeve song. It's delicately played and totally disarming.
Even though Johnson is well traveled due to his college days in Santa Barbara, Calif., and love of surfing -- both as a sport and a documentary subject -- I consider his music appealing in a local vein. While not Jawaiian at all, it's island music that transcends limiting commercial boundaries.
If there were any justice in the world, Johnson's songs would be getting mad airplay locally, especially in light of this appealing album. After all, he is one of ours and worthy of our support.
Click for online
calendars and events.
