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Call it the signature of a surfer so bleached by the sun that he rushes nothing, but To the Sea substitutes the sunset strum-alongs of his earliest records for a sleek daytime sheen that might glimmer too brightly for hippies but it makes for a better overall pop record.
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A natural progression from 2008 release "Sleep Through the Static," the new set features more electric guitars and a brighter, full-band sound while still bringing plenty of singalong acoustic romanticism and breezy melodies.
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Here's another set of strummy beachside ballads from the most successful surf bum in history.
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70Should he ever stretch himself as a musician the results could be fascinating – think The Beach Boys before Pet Sounds, and what they felt capable of afterwards – but right now he's operating in a comfort zone that should guarantee continued commercial success.
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On To the Sea, the 35-year-old surfer and filmmaker is still staring down adult fears. But this time he has made an existential chill-out record that feels substantial, at times even edgy, without feeling forced.
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70If you dig Johnson, you will like this record. If you've heard a few songs and never been interested, little on this album is likely to change that.
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Time and again, his choices are predictable, but it's comforting and hard not to like in its gently strummed affability.
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60Johnson considers the world's woes with gentle reflection rather than recrimnation, along the way hoping to illuminate his son's path to finding his own truth. [July 2010]
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60"You And Your Heart" tries to kick out the jams, but in the most polite fashion imaginable. He's at his best on more familiar ground of the mid-tempo chug "Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology." [Aug 2010, p.84]
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60At first listen, To The Sea is more of the same: Johnson's warm voice wrapped around sweet, if hardly memorable songs. [July 2010, p. 133]
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60Johnson treads lightly with his sunniness – he just lies in a metaphorical hammock and offers nuggets of wisdom, which sound deceptively meaningful, when illuminated by his pretty guitar work.
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60Even at its loudest, there's nothing objectionable or earth shattering about To The Sea; but there doesn't really need to be.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 5
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Mixed: 0 out of 5
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Negative: 0 out of 5
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10Every album this guy makes is a wonder of laid-back rhythmic strumming and brilliant lyrics- and they just keep getting better and better.
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NickF10Great album. JJ returns to his roots in a good way. Reminds me of his first album more so than his last one.
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DanM9Love this one as much as all the others! I can't think of a JJ song that i skip over, I listen to them all thanks Jack for some more music.