If only the rest of the world could be as relaxed as Jack Johnson.
The Hawaiian native leads an enviable lifestyle—a professional surfer-turned-musician happily spending his days catching rays on his island home, strumming his six-string.
If you think he couldn’t get any more easy-going, surf rock’s king of cool has returned with a new batch of songs that stands as some of his most relaxed material to date.
From Here to Now to You doesn’t show us anything new in terms of where Jack Johnson has taken his songwriting and guitar playing, but you can bet that it’s another nice record where being mellow is the name of the game.
Enlisting the help of producer Mario Caldato Jr., who produced Johnson’s second and third albums in the mid-2000s, Johnson largely celebrates the little things in his life these days through song.
While 2010’s To the Sea was largely a sombre record recorded as an ode to the man’s late father, From Here to Now to You takes a decidedly different direction in terms of feeling and subject matter.
It wouldn’t be a Jack Johnson record without a little love, shown through “I’ve Got You,” a song for his wife. “I got you/I got everything” he softly sings as listeners are exposed to his seemingly perfect love life.
“It feels good to be the one, that you want/When all I want is you” he expresses on “Never Fade.” Johnson’s charm always seems to make these types of songs work.
Fear not—the album isn’t entirely made up of love songs. “Washing Dishes” is a nicely arranged song with catchy vocal harmonies, while “Radiate” is an album highlight which offers up a feel-good funk.
“Tape Deck” brings a jovial swing to Johnson’s younger musical days playing Fugazi covers.
Johnson doesn’t seem interested in pushing any new boundaries in his sound on From Here to Now to You, and that’s perfectly alright, as there’s enough lovely little melodies contained within the ten tracks to sweeten the listening experience.
The record was largely written on the front porch of his house. If that doesn’t scream laid-back, I’m not sure what does.
