Jack Johnson

On his sophomore album, this former pro surfer sounds like a mellower Ben Harper. His lyrics invite the listener to slow down and feel at home in a groovy, Donovan-like space, while his whispered, I'm-telling-you-a secret inflections sound honestly intimate and mysterious in their fragile vocal textures.

A throwback to the laid-back days of early-Seventies pop, Jack Johnson writes and sings
lyrics such as "You know, this livin' is not so hard as it seems" as if he's determined not to
allow the angst of the modern world to impinge upon his buzz. With On and On, this
Hawaiian surfer's croon evokes the mellow-yellow moan of Donovan but without the
weirdness that made that psychedelic folkie compelling. The acoustic guitar and... More >