In Between Dreams (Special Edition) [Digipak] - Jack Johnson > Reviews > How has this not been reviewed yet?

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	easy toe - tapping summer tunes
Disadvantages:	some saminess between the tracks

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

~ JACK JOHNSON
I thought I was behind the times having only just purchased my copy of 'In Between Dreams' by Jack Johnson, but it appears that I can contribute here at Ciao by introducing at least a few of you to this singer. This is not his first album, but it's the first one I've bought. My brother put a track on a cd he made for me of his favourites in an attempt to 'educate' my music tastes. I resented the implication but liked the music (don't tell him).
~ PRICE
Then I made a wee visit to the US and got the cd for 11 dollars (about £6.10) at Target which seemed fair, so I bought it.
~ COVER
Let me get the peripheral stuff out of the way - the cd cover is cardboard which I guess is environmentally friendly but I'm nervous about it getting rained on. I'm not personally a big fan of the mustard colour, and I have trouble fishing the cd out of the sleeve without leaving fingerprints on it, but otherwise the cover's groovy.
~ MUSICAL STYLE
There's a touch of Joss Stone about this cd, not least Jack Johnson's voice, which is mellow, slightly husky, and easy, but the music more acoustic, less produced. All the songs have toe-tapping, head-nodding rhythm - apparently, he's from Hawaii, and you can feel the laid-back vibe. I also recently bought a cd by Bright Eyes and there are similarities with that too: acoustic, guitar-playing singer-songwriter.
~ TRACKS
You get 14 tracks for your money, a good deal I think. They do all have some similarities with each other in terms of style but not so much that you'd confuse one song with another, because they have quite strong lyrics and melodies. Here's the track list and some lyric snippets:
1. Better Together - "like a shoebox of photographs with sepia-toned loving"
2. Never Know - "our hearts are strong, our heads are weak"
3. Banana Pancakes - "but just maybe, hala ka ukelele"
4. Good People - "we got heaps and heaps of what we sow"
5. No Other Way - "close your eyes, woman, please get some sleep"
6. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing - "it's my first time so please ignore the next few lines because they're directed at you"
7. Staple It Together - "he shot the future in the foot with every step he took"
8. Situations - too short for a snippet!
9. Crying Shame - "a number of people are numbers that ain't coming home"
10. If I Could - "they say that new life makes losing life easier to understand"
11. Breakdown - "the wisdom's in the trees not the glass windows"
12. Belle - too short
13. Do You Remember -"we can't rewind, we're locked in time"
14. Constellations - "skipping just like the stones they threw"
'Sitting, Waiting, Wishing' is the most famous track, I think - it has some clever lyrics and a catchy tune. Personally I like the track that follows it: 'Staple It Together' - it has more upbeat jazz rhythms.
Also breaking up the 3-minute tracks are a couple of short (1-minute) tracks - 'Situations' and 'Belle', a cute little song partly in (bad) French.
I can imagine people busking these songs. I bet Jack Johnson's great live. Anyone heard him?
Just as a final sidenote, there's a little insignia on the back of the cd case that says '1% for the planet' - some kind of initiative giving 1% of profits for environmental concerns that the record label has signed up to (you can google it).
(NB I should also mention I bought this cd in the US, so some details might differ)