The MC Music Man takes on: Jack Johnson

By: Dustin Looney
Features Editor

Jack Johnson decided to switch up his style on his fourth studio album, “Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies,” for the film “Curious George.” He was faced with a new professional challenge of making the soundtrack for an animated movie and, in my opinion, he met the challenge with a great deal of success.

Although his new CD, which was released in the spring of 2006, is primarily catered toward a younger crowd, Johnson tries to bridge the gap between children and adults.
The first song on Johnson’s 13-track CD is the catchy single, “Upside Down,” which has been played on radios all over the nation. The upbeat song takes an optimistic point-of-view on life, and is considered by many as Johnson’s best track on any of his four CDs to date.

“Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies” continues with four songs that are very typical of Johnson’s music. All of them are worth a listen.

The sixth track of the CD is “Jungle Gym,” which features Johnson’s friend and fellow musician, G. Love. Johnson and G. Love have written and performed many songs together, and their styles and vocals blend extremely well. This track is no exception.
The next track on the CD is a cover of the White Stripes “We’re Going to be Friends.” Many people recognize “We’re Going to be Friends” from the comedy film, “Napoleon Dynamite.” Although Johnson’s version varies slightly from the original movie track, it is a good example of his smooth and mellow style.

Track nine, “The 3 R’s” is Johnson’s interpretation of “Three is A Magic Number.” Johnson turns the song into a plea for environmental consciousness, encouraging people to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Hopefully, the catchy tune, as well as its underlying message, will remain with the listener for a long time.

Track 11, “With My Own Two Hands,” features Ben Harper, another one of Jack’s long-time accomplices. This comforting song is a remake of a song written by Harper in 2003. Harper’s original version was a reggae style song with witty lyrics, and Johnson more-than-likely thought it could easily be transformed into a good kid’s song.

The last track on “Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies” is titled “Supposed to Be,” and it is the deepest song on the CD. In “Supposed to Be,” Johnson brilliantly contemplates some profound questions about life, asking “maybe it’s up with the stars, maybe it’s under the sea, maybe it’s not very far, maybe this is how it’s suppose to be.” It is up to the listener to determine what “it” is.

Although many people accuse Johnson’s newest CD of being childish, I believe it is a great album. It is, after all, the soundtrack for a child’s movie, and he has accomplished what he set out to do and more. If you are new to Jack Johnson’s artistry, I highly recommend you check out his first three CD’s: “Brushfire Fairytales,” “On & On” and “In Between Dreams.”

Photo: Jack Johnson speaks to the crowd during a performance at the Kokua Festival in 2005. Photograph by Brian Bielmann.