Jacaranda 94.2 - Hit Play: Sleeping Through The Static

::: 07-10-2008 15:00 The Morningside clinic in northern Johannesburg is currently briefing the media on the unknown illness that has claimed three lives in South Africa. ::: The FNB Consumer confidence Index has recovered some lost ground, after plunging 28 index points in the first half of the year, it increased five index points to -1 in the third quarter. ::: A 40-year-old man was killed when rival taxi groups clashed in Vanderbijlpark this morning ::: Paul Mashatile says his two main priorities as Gauteng premier will be the high crime-rate and economic growth. Mashatile was sworn in as Gauteng premier this morning. ::: The Johannesburg High Court trial of one of South Africa's most notorious suspected criminals Annanias Mathe has been postponed to Monday.

8.83

15.55

12.08

jhb
25°

pta
27°

ct
20°

dbn
24°

Sleeping Through The Static – Jack Johnson

Track Listing

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’s mellow gentle whisper colours standout tracks like “All At Once”, “What You Thought You Need”, “If I Had Eyes” and “Go On”, creating sublime grooves that sound so effortless.

Review

Could a man with a guitar really change the world? Well I don’t know if Hawaiian-born Jack Johnson is trying, but he is sure doing his bit. With the whole world facing an energy crisis, it is only fitting that the super chilled surfer-turned-singer-songwriter lay down 14 beautifully lilting tracks using nothing but solar energy.

His recording studio, Bushfire Records, is housed in a renovated old building in Los Angeles and fitted with solar panels, skylights and refurbished with recycled wood. Bushfire Records are also a member of 1% For the Planet; donating at least one percent of their sales to a network of environmental organisations and while they are on tour the busses are fuelled by bio-diesel.

With Sleeping Through the Static, the “green-guy” takes a stand with a message that smoothly lulls into every song. He writes about his latest album, “Some of the songs on this album are about making babies. Some of the songs are about raising them. Some of the songs are about the world that these children will grow up in; a world of war and love, and hate, and time and space. Some of the songs are about saying goodbye to people I love and will miss.” The Jack on this album is a more world-weary one, where his three previous (platinum) albums and the chart-topping 2006 Curious George soundtrack covered everything from bubble toes, banana pancakes to stargazing; this album voices a more dejected soul.

That being said, the major appeal of Jack Johnson, is that you know what you are going to get – even though his motivation might have shifted slightly as he watches his children grow up – and it is always all good. Jack Johnson’s mellow gentle whisper colours standout tracks like “All At Once”, “What You Thought You Need”, “If I Had Eyes” and “Go On”, creating sublime grooves that sound so effortless. Even with the slightly more aggressive title track the sedate singer makes his point in Zen-like and soulful splashes of acoustic guitar strums and laid-back piano harmonies.

I think all that is left to say is mahalo for making this Jack!