Yeong Kar Yan
It’s been 2 years since Sleep Through the Static, and Jack Johnson is finally back with his 5th studio album, To The Sea.
The songs in this album are relatively more upbeat and light compared to his previous record which featured somber and melancholy tracks like “All At Once”. The singer was dealing with family loss and life has been particularly trying for the Hawaiian-born singer-songwriter. In 2 years, he struggled with the young death of his cousin, Danny and watched his dad’s health deteriorate over time. A champion surfer, his dad, Jeff Johnson, was a huge influence in his growing years but passed away last August after a long battle with cancer.
To The Sea is a tribute to him, whom Jack Johnson attributes as a huge source of inspiration for the new album’s more energetic and lighter sound. “Whenever my dad wanted to make sense of his life, he looked to the sea. Now I do the same,” he said, explaining the title in an interview with Daily Mail.
Rather than writing dark lyrically-themed songs about loss and grief, the singer chose to celebrate life.
He starts off To The Sea with the radio single, “You and Your Heart” and the rhythmic guitar riffs really pull you in and make you want to tap your feet with the beat. According to Billboard.com, the song peaked at #20 on the Billboard Top 100 and has sold more than 148,000 digital downloads after its release in early April. Singing about the disparity between the brain and the heart, this catchy number is definitely the most memorable in an album that tends to take on a more laid-back and mellow tone.
The family man in Jack Johnson also comes through in the album for all to see with tracks like “My Little Girl” which he says is an ode to his infant daughter, in his interview with Billboard.com. The song is stirring and Johnson sings it tenderly with soulful emotion.
You don’t ever have to feel lonely / You will never lose any tears / You don’t have to feel any sadness / When you look back on the years”
It is the scrupulously simple lyrics such as these that makes Johnson’s songs so relatable and gives To The Sea the endearing quality that keeps listeners coming back for more.
“No Good with Faces” has more of such frank and charming lyrics while songs like “From the Clouds” and “Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology” are also highly recommended for their cheery and quirky melodies.
While critics may argue that To The Sea is predictable and a repetition of his previous works, the album is just impossible to hate and it grows on you with every listen.
And as the BBC points out, Jack Johnson doesn’t really need the money. The man is a philanthropist – donates all his money from tours to charity organisations like the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation (set up by him and his wife) to support environmental, art and music education,records his songs with 100% solar energy while the album is a pretty package made with recycled materials. He doesn’t hanker after commercial fame and stays true to his craft, gifting us with his songs and ruminations on life, love and family.
The album is well put together and quite literally brings you “To The Sea” as the songs’ tempo rise and fall like a wave, sometimes gaining momentum with songs like “At Or with Me” then slowing down to a more sedate beat only to catch you back in with faster tracks like “Pictures of People Taking Pictures.”
The lilting guitar riffs and soft percussion are rather therapeutic and the world will probably be a little more sane and calm if they’ve had a bit of John Jackson.
We suggest that when you first hear To The Sea, to appreciate the album as a whole and give it a good listen from start to finish, the way it’s meant to be heard.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Album: To The Sea
Artiste: Jack Johnson
Language: English
Record Label: Brushfire Records
Release Date: 1 June 2010
Genre: Acoustic
Length: 41:31
Tracklist:
- “You and Your Heart” – 3:13
- “To the Sea” – 3:30
- “No Good with Faces” – 3:31
- “At Or with Me” – 3:58
- “When I Look Up” – 0:58
- “From the Clouds” – 3:06
- “My Little Girl” – 2:21
- “Turn Your Love” – 3:13
- “The Upsetter” – 3:50
10. “Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology” – 4:03
11. “Pictures of People Taking Pictures” – 3:20
12. “Anything but the Truth” – 2:54
13. “Only the Ocean” – 3:40