The Johnsons : Releases >>
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Sleep Through The Static >>
Jack Johnson recorded his fourth album using nothing but solar power. This is somehow fitting for a singer-songwriter, surfer, and filmmaker who spends most of his days floating in the ocean under Hawaii's open skies. The forces of nature certainly seem to have found their way into the mellow grooves of standout tracks like "What You Thought You Need," "Adrift," and "Go On," songs so lovely and effortless that you can almost hear the melodies coming to Johnson on a warm breeze that rustles through the coconut trees. Sleep Through the Static documents his best work to date, even better than the Curious George soundtrack. The sedate singer transforms the acoustic campfire strums of the past into sublime, soulful ruminations on his wife, kids, and the state of the world. He even manages to conjure up some real anger on the title track, which is hardly diminished by its lavish grooves and glistening harmonies. --Aidin Vaziri
In Between Dreams >>
For a man who gets his biggest kicks surfing the waves and strumming his guitar on a lonely beach in native Hawaii, singer-songwriter Jack Johnson has carved out quite a remarkable career on the mainland. His 2003 album, On and On, debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and subsequently went platinum on the back of hit single "The Horizon Has Been Defeated." The follow-up, meanwhile, seems destined to shine even brighter. The drifting chords and soft voice are still in place, only now Johnson's instinct for melody has sharpened alongside his ability to self-edit. These small concessions make third album, In Between Dreams, his most conspicuous, particularly on tracks like the three-minute relationship drama, "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," and "Breakdown," a song he originally recorded for Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People album remade here to reveal its full stripped-down loveliness. Imagine all the coconuts it will buy. -- Aidin Vaziri
That Lonesome Song >>
He could be basking in his songwriting accolades, but Jamey Johnson remains a restlessly creative maverick.
Jamey is the co-writer of the CMA and ACM 2007 Song of the Year "Give It Away," recorded by George Strait. Trace Adkins, George Jones and Joe Nichols have also recorded his songs. But instead of sitting at home counting his royalty checks, Jamey Johnson recorded more than 40 songs during the past year.
Not content with providing hits for others, the singer-songwriter has a powerful drive to sing, record and perform.
"Writing is not enough for me," says this intense artist. "I did not come here to just be a writer. I live to play....I'm not here to take a stab at it. I am going to DO it."
Following a deep period of isolation and introspection, Jamey Johnson entered the recording studio in April 2007. Within months, Jamey emerged with That Lonesome Song, a collection of extraordinary compositions that is equally noteworthy for its lyrical craftsmanship and its strikingly original sound.
The first single from the album is "In Color" and is available in the Amazon MP3 store.
Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George (Jack Johnson) >>
Admit it: If you had to pick an artist to give voice to the wackadoo thinkings of a monkey beloved by most of the American populace over age 3, you could do a lot worse than Jack Johnson. Black Eyed Peas? Too hyper. Death Cab for Cutie? Too ironic. They Might Be Giants? Too eggheaded. Johnson, though the object of much rightful jealousy--here, after all, is a guy who only stumbled into music and vaulted himself up the charts after a successful career as a pro surfer--turns out to have the goods to do H.A. Rey, Curious George's creator, proud. Fans familiar with Johnson's earlier discs will recognize a certain laconic sprawl and easy fascination in his songs that suits the theme of perpetual puzzlement perfectly (here, let's not forget, is a guy who racked up fans with songs called "Bubble Toes" and "Banana Pancakes"). That the music takes a childish turn barely registers--songs like opener "Upside Down" are classic Johnson, all wonderment and groove, and the collaborations with friends Ben Harper, G. Love, and Matt Costa warm up, wink, and scamper off before packing on the weight of excess meaning. "We're Going to Be Friends," track seven, seals the deal--when you can make the White Stripes sound compatible with the Man with the Yellow Hat, you know you've got a multi-generational winner. --Tammy La Gorce
On and On >>
Jack Johnson has found himself a groove. Indeed, the Hawaiian surfing champion turned alternative pop-folk star really hasn't changed things one iota for his sophomore release. Fans of Brushfire Fairytales should be delighted with the results. The groove is a mellow one--most of the 16 tracks here are semi-acoustic--and that easy-going spirit filters into Johnson's lyrical philosophies. "What will be will be / And so it goes" he sings on "Times Like These," the opening track. Thankfully, Johnson is never too mellow, and there's a "Don't worry, be happy" vibe to most of his music. "The Horizon Has Been Defeated" even has a pseudo-reggae feel to it. Although classified as an alternative musician, the singer-songwriter's compositions owe much to past hits. "Traffic in the Sky" is reminiscent of Jim Croce's "Operator" and Looking Glass's one-hit-wonder, "Brandy." On the splendid "Taylor," Johnson sounds an awful lot like Donovan. And "By The Way" recalls the Lovin' Spoonful. -- Bill Holdship
Spring Awakening (2006 Original Broadway Cast) >>
Who would have thought that Duncan Sheik would succeed where Paul Simon and Randy Newman failed, successfully transitioning from the pop-rock world to the Broadway stage? With Spring Awakening, Sheik and book writer/lyricist Steven Slater (who had already worked on Sheik's 2001 album Phantom Moon) have created a thoroughly exciting show that incorporates a contemporary art-indie idiom (including a small rock band instead of an orchestra) into a dramatic musical-theater context. The unlikely setting is that of a Frank Wedekind adaptation, but as it turns out, teenage angst is perennial, whether it's in contemporary America or in a 1891 German boarding school. Songs such as "The Bitch of Living" ("with nothing going on, asking just what went wrong"), "The Word of Your Body," "I Don't Do Sadness," and "Totally Fucked" ("You're fucked if you speak your mind and you know you will") resonate with the rage, frustration, confusion, excitement, joy, anger, and of course budding lust of those hormone-driven years. The show is greatly enhanced by its youthful cast members (they're all pretty close in age to their characters), who sing their hearts out. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Brushfire Fairytales >>
Fans of Willy Porter, Ben Harper, and G. Love will all want to check out Jack Johnson's engaging folk- and blues-inflected pop. Born in Oahu, Hawaii, Johnson, a former surfer and film-school graduate, has a knack for acoustic ballads whose calm surfaces hide a subtle but strong lyrical undertow. "It seems to me that 'maybe' pretty much always means 'no,'" sings Johnson on "Flake," which features crony Harper on slide guitar. Production by J.P. Plunier (who also handles Harper's recordings) is simple and uncluttered: acoustic guitar and drum tracks share the foreground with Johnson's easygoing vocals, which evoke everyone from G. Love (who recorded Johnson's "Rodeo Clowns" on his Philadelphonic album) to Nick Drake to Willy Porter. And while Johnson may not have Porter's guitar chops, these songs have a relaxed beauty and understated depth that reward repeated listening. --Bill Forman
A Day to Remember - Instrumental Music for Your Wedding Day >>
After performing at more than 200 weddings, Tim and Ryan O'Neill recorded this beautiful CD of favorite wedding songs. It features a full hour of instrumental piano, string quartet, flute, and guitar music that can be played at your ceremony or reception.
It also gives suggestions for music at your wedding, including a special bridal website!
*Over 1,000 song titles listed
*Listen to samples of songs
*More ideas for each part of your ceremony, reception, and dance
The Dollar >>
With a distinct, identifiable vocal snarl and the ability to write songs without constantly using half a dozen Music Row collaborators, Alabama native Jamey Johnson forcefully asserts his neotraditional bent on "The Dollar," a beautifully crafted high-impact cautionary about the modern conundrum of work versus family. His skill at delivering with utter clarity and lack of artifice enhances every performance, as he reinvents the timeless lost-love-and-redemption ballad with "Flying Silver Eagle" and on "My Saving Grace" thoughtfully counsels perseverance despite an alcoholic father. The generic "redneck" ditties currently in vogue get their moments with "Rebelicious" and "Redneck Side of Me." They pale, however, alongside Johnson's admirable storytelling on "She's All Lady," his witty Honkytonkers Anonymous vibe on "Keepin' Up with the Jonesin'" (with a superfluous cameo by George Jones) and the moving "Back to Caroline." The final surprise: a powerful gospel closer, "Lead Me Home." Debuts suffer if an artist lacks confidence or faces mediocre production and material. Those aren't issues for Johnson, who delivers refreshingly straight and honest. --Rich Kienzle
Dreamgirls >>
The big question about this soundtrack is: how's she doing? No, not Beyoncé, silly--how's Jennifer Hudson doing? And more specifically, how's she doing by "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"? To this reviewer's ears, she doesn't top the original Effie, Jennifer Holliday--or even Lillias White, from the 2001 Dreamgirls in Concert. On the other hand, Hudson isn't afraid to pullout all the stops, whipping herself up into a total diva frenzy as the song getscaught up in an unstoppable crescendo. As for Beyoncé, she adapts superbly to the 1960s- and 1970s-tinged material, though "Listen"--a ballad that also appears on her own B'day album--lacks the spirit that infuses the classic tunes on this album. For make no mistake: this is hard-hitting, high-octane music, infused with an urgency and passion that makes most contemporary R&B albums sound timid. When Hudson and Beyoncé duke it out on "It's All Over," or when the "One Night Only" ballad gets reinvented as the dance-floor burner "One Night Only (Disco)," the sheer energy flowing from the speakers is transporting.
Note that the two-CD Deluxe Edition features a larger booklet and additional tracks, including dance remixes of "One Night Only" and "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," as well as composer Henry Krieger's demo of "Patience." --Elisabeth Vincentelli
More from the Dreamgirls Cast
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