Sleep Through The Static (CD)

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  General Rock & Pop
• Format: CD
• Release Date: February 5, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Universal Republic
• UPC: 602517560550
• WAPI (Tower ID): 111734978
• Average Customer Review:    (2 customer reviews)
• Tower.com Sales Rank: #34 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #21 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
• #19 in General Rock & Pop (See Top 100 General Rock & Pop Bestsellers)

• DISC 1 for Sleep Through The Static (CD) Album
• 1   All At Once
• 2   Sleep Through The Static
• 3   Hope
• 4   Angel
• 5   Enemy
• 6   If I Had Eyes
• 7   Same Girl
• 8   What You Thought You Need
• 9   Adrift
• 10   Go On
• 11   They Do, They Don't
• 12   While We Wait
• 13   Monsoon
• 14   Losing Keys

•  [Jack Johnson - Official Site] 
  
•  [Jack Johnson - Wikipedia Entry] 
  
•  [Jack Johnson - Myspace] 
  
•  [Jack Johnson - Music LAST.fm] 
  

Rolling Stone (p.77) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The finest moments on SLEEP THROUGH THE STATIC are the simplest, like the aching love song 'Angel' or Go On,' a sweetly swaying meditation on his growing children."
Spin (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] chewy, Moog-speckled ditties that reveal an arty streak he's kept secret till now."
Q (Magazine) (p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "From the first forlorn chords of opening track 'All At Once' onwards, this is a more serious confection....His voice is as soothing as ever."
Blender (Magazine) (p.99) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "With a few more electric flourishes than before, he makes it all feel light as sea foam..."

Personnel: Jack Johnson (vocals, guitar); Zach Gill (vocals, keyboards); Trent Johnson (acoustic guitar); Merlo Podlewski (bass guitar); Adam Topol (drums); JP Plunier (hand claps, background vocals); Emmett Malloy, Josh Arroyo (hand claps); Danny Riley (background vocals).

If James Taylor was the face of '70s soft rock, then pro-surfer-turned-multi-platinum singer-songwriter Jack Johnson is surely his millennial counterpart: an easy on the ears commercial juggernaut that the critics dismiss with undisguised, and somewhat unjustified bile. Johnson's response to his detractors is to dig in, and with SLEEP THROUGH THE STATIC, his fifth--and best--set of soulfully mellow but emphatically hooky jams, he does just that.

Reportedly recorded on a solar-powered 8-track reel to reel, the songs--which, as he explains in the liner notes, concern "making babies...and raising them"--intimately reveal Johnson's newfound family bliss. He brings to the studio his touring band of drummer Adam Topol, bassist Merlo Podlewski, and keyboardist Zach Gill, who adds piano trills reminiscent of those in Nick Drake's "Pink Moon." A laidback Cali quality brims throughout cuts such as the title track and "Hope," as producer Robert Carranza keeps the sounds present but never overbearing.

Jack Johnson - Sleep Through The Static

From surfer to rock star…or at least soft-rock star, Johnson serenades us once again with his fifth studio effort, produced by JP Plunier, who masterminded the production on the Hawaiian wonder boy’s 2001 debut, "Brushfire Fairytales."

A stripped down simpler Johnson is where his true talents lie, and in tracks like “Go On” or “Angel” we’re served a more concentrated Jack, with the lyrical prowess that we yearn for when reaching for one of his albums. He himself states that the theme of this record is rooted in his children and his life with them in it, and in the aforementioned tracks we can acknowledge the concept having been achieved with flying colors.

However, even with the addition of keyboard player Zach Gill bringing a more developed sound to the equation, the record sounds like shackles may have been involved to ensure no one went crazy and released some augmented musical talent. Initial word was that Johnson wanted to experiment a little on this one, but throw caution to the wind he did not, and if there are some new Jack Johnson-isms on “Sleep Through the Static” then the subtly is comparable to a dog whistle. The boys keep it simple and don’t stray to far from the road.

All this being said one thing must be acknowledged, in a time in our social existence where originality, the last bastion of music, is coming to a screeching halt, Johnson provides a message through his work that seems to show us that above all, he will remain true to his music, true to originality and true to himself. Well that and living in Hawaii with surfing as a passion may help you Sleep Through the Static.

Favorite Songs – “Angel”, “Go on”, “Hope.”

- Danny LIT, Tower Pulse – 04/04/2008

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