Jack Johnson writes songs that feel warm and familiar. There is no other way to accurately describe his sound-it isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but his songs are so homogenous across the board that it would be difficult to paint him as a musical genius either. He's not bad, he's not great-but he's enjoyable.
In Between Dreams, his latest release, certainly displays little to no experimentation from Johnson's previous formula. That's not necessarily a bad thing. He's fine-tuned it a bit, though-Dreams is brighter and more endearing than Brushfire Fairytales and On and On. Johnson remains within his style, but his melodies are more playful and inviting than ever.
\Sitting, Waiting, Wishing,"" the first single, is a lively, up-tempo folk tune. The lyrics are standard relationship drama-""Well if I was in your position / I'd put down all my ammunition / I'd wonder why it'd taken me so long""-but manages to rely on a fun melody. Album-opener ""Better Together,"" on the other hand, relies on the verses dominated by Johnson's rhythmic delivery of vocals to offset a lovey-dovey repetitive chorus. Johnson's tracks differ from one another in only the subtlest ways-positive or negative aspects of love, or different delivery of a similar folk/blues sound.
There are rare exceptions. He gets semi-political on ""Crying Shame,"" singing ""By now we say it's a war for peace / it's the same old game / But do we really want to play?"" While Johnson may not say anything particularly original or groundbreaking on the track, it does exhibit some exploration. Drummer Adam Topol and bassist Merlo Podlewski match the topic matter with heavier instrumentals, and Johnson reaches into a high vocal range during the chorus, creating an interesting contrast.
Other noteworthy tracks are early in the disc, including ""Never Know"" and ""Good People."" However, the track that really embodies Jack Johnson is probably ""Banana Pancakes,"" a simple mellow number that features Johnson pleading for his wife to stay with him on a rainy day, promising to make her banana pancakes. The song is cheery and amusing, but not particularly substantial or innovative.
In fact, that can describe nearly every track on In Between Dreams. Rabid fans frequently overstate Johnson's singer/songwriter prowess, but elitists tend to over-criticize him as well. More than any of his singer/songwriter brethren, Jack Johnson perfectly captures the casual and upbeat mood of spring and summer. Anyone with the slightest bit of spirit should be able to at least appreciate that.
