Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams [Vinyl]

A former professional surfer and self-proclaimed beach bum, Jack Johnson is an unlikely candidate for rock-star status. Somehow, however, this everyman’s mellow pop songs seem to tap into a commonly held desire for the simple life. The formula on IN BETWEEN DREAMS doesn’t vary much from Johnson’s previous albums, but is no less engaging–delicately strummed acoustic guitar, round bass lines, and gently funky drum patterns form a comforting bed for the Hawaii native’s effortlessly soulful R&B-meets-folk vocals.

Sounding at times like a more laid-back G. Love (without the rap tendencies), Johnson celebrates the simple pleasures and asks the big questions with the childlike innocence that only someone living in a literal paradise could muster. “Banana Pancakes” is a Harry Nilsson-like groover that urges listeners to skip work and enjoy themselves every so often, while “Good People” decries the age of reality television with a poignancy reminiscent of Donovan at his free-spirited best. Perhaps the track that most accurately encapsulates Johnson’s unique less-is-more approach, however, is “Belle,” a jazzy ditty that clocks in at less than two minutes and lets a swooning accordion tell the bulk of the story.

Features the hit single ‘Sitting, Waiting, Wishing’. Universal. 2005.

Tracks
1 Better Together
2 Never Know
3 Banana Pancakes
4 Good People
5 No Other Way
6 Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
7 Staple It Together
8 Situations
9 Crying Shame
10 If I Could
11 Breakdown
12 Belle
13 Do You Remember
14 Constellations