Artist:  Jack Johnson
Title:  To the Sea
Label:  Brushfire Records

Jack Johnson is back again with his fifth studio album, To the Sea—a project that builds upon the relaxed, feel-good surfer sound that's arguably made him a household name. Upon releasing earlier this month, his new disc quickly captured the top spot on charts in seven countries, including the United States. After listening to the album, it's easy to see why.

The record begins with the instantly catchy "You and Your Heart," and progresses through a couple of earnest love songs, a tender ballad to his young daughter and some honest confessions, including "No Good with Faces"  and "Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology" about life experiences juxtaposed with reality.  Perhaps the most evocative of this collection is the soothing, "Anything But the Truth," where he posits existential questions but concludes that "I don't know / I don't know we were meant to know." His trademark acoustic rhythms are peppered with electric overtones that bring a slightly different, but overall familiar sound. Appropriately titled, "To the Sea" resonates with the recurring oceanic imagery of sand, tide, and waves—and rightly so, Johnson being a native Hawaiian and champion surfer.

The overall message of the album is perhaps best said in, "The Upsetter" where Johnson acknowledges that "These problems they breathe / their fire is real," but urges the listener to "stop upsetting yourself" and "this world that you're standing on." Johnson makes it clear that we can either be a part of the problem or a part of the solution, and demonstrates his own commitment to making the world a better place in several ways. First, true to Johnson's involvement in environmental causes, he recorded the album in both of his solar-powered studios and printed the record on 100% post consumer material. Secondly, he is donating the entire proceeds from his 2010 "To the Sea" world eco-tour to charity. Also, the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, an endowment that he and wife Kim founded in 2008 to support environmental, art, and music education, will match fans' donations at each concert to local non-profits who partner with their All At Once community.

While Jack Johnson is not claiming to know all the answers, he's urging listeners to "turn your love / give it back," as one song on the album implores.  It appears he has once again done his part by releasing another solid record that's making waves not just musically, but environmentally as well.



**This review first published on June 25, 2010.