"Sleep Through The Static"

A latter-day album from the icon of the free life and the sweeter side of the acoustic guitar, Jack Johnson's latest album, "Sleep Through the Static" shows the beginnings of a new, deeper artist that we may not have been expecting.

The common association of music from Jack Johnson would be along the lines of "Banana Pancakes" or "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," the latter being one of the heavier songs from his previous album, "In Between Dreams." That album was very chorus-based and, by comparison, much more light-hearted and carefree, which was one of the great appeals of his music, especially when you could get lost in listening to the album. In some ways, Johnson has kept that intact, and kept his style very apparent in his song writing and arrangements. Unlike "In Between Dreams," however, he has taken a darker mood and theme in the lyrical content, and while he has retained some of the chorus-heavy writing, by comparison, it's much less than in "In Between Dreams."

One crucial distinction for this album among any of Johnson's previous works is in his lyrics. Admitting to the fact that the main appeal of Johnson's music is the lyrics, there is a striking difference between any of the songs I've heard before. Instead of the free and easy lyrics that are easy to follow along with, these are much richer, more complex lyrics. These lyrics, however, are much harder to comprehend casually, and I found required a word-by-word reading along with the track lyrics for most of the beginning of the album. This wasn't critical by any means, as at most points the music really reflected the mood very effectively. In fact, sitting back and not worrying about the lyrics made the experience of the album more enjoyable. As contradictory as that is, the lyrics that would define the album left me blankly listening; it was still worth the listen and it continues the easy-listening saga that is Jack Johnson.

On a song by song basis, there's no one song that makes this a great album, but there are several that make it alright. The title track is a beautifully thoughtful song that gets its message across clearly, if not slightly obnoxiously, and really sets the mood for the album. "Hope" was a true return back to form, and it relieves some of the tension within the album to be something new on Johnson's part, much like "If I Had Eyes," though it lent itself to the new electric sound that this album had promised. Songs like "Enemy" and "Same Girl" were more miss than hit, and unfortunately there were more songs that missed.

As much as I can complain that this was not the Jack Johnson album I had wanted, or that this new, darker persona in his writing can be trying at times, the core of Jack Johnson is still in this music and that saves it, if not gives it credibility. Hopefully, though, this isn't the new norm for his music, and that his next project takes him back to another point in his life.

Official Thorn rating: 2.5 elephants