Jack Johnson [2008] Sleep Through The Static

[01] All At Once
[02] Sleep Through The Static
[03] Hope
[04] Angel
[05] Enemy
[06] If I Had Eyes
[07] Same Girl
[08] What You Thought You Need
[09] Adrift
[10] Go On
[11] They Do, They Don't
[12] While We Wait
[13] Monsoon
[14] Losing Keys



amg: Much of the press surrounding the release of Sleep Through the Static recounted Jack Johnson's claim that he gave all his peppy pop tunes over to the Curious George soundtrack and how that, combined with personal losses — including the death of his cousin Danny Riley, to whom the album is dedicated — led the surfing singer/songwriter into darker territory for his fifth album. To a certain extent, all of that is true, as the album does open with an atypically stark, moody number in "All at Once" and there are some darker sentiments lurking within the 14 songs here, but it takes some close listening to find the sorrow flowing through some of the words. Some very close listening, really, as Johnson's sand-brushed, gentle voice doesn't command attention. His voice lulls and soothes, so it takes concentrated effort to hear beyond his tone and hear what he's actually saying. Then again, the meaning of Johnson's music doesn't matter as much as the mellow mood, a feeling that he's sustained throughout his albums and doesn't change here. Johnson may use more electric guitars than acoustics on Sleep Through the Static, but he's strumming them like acoustics and his overall aesthetic has not changed at all: he's still a laid-back guy singing songs that roll so easy they glide into the background. No matter what instrument he's playing or what he's singing about, his music still feels the same, which is enough to satisfy his fans but not to win him many new ones.
(amg 6/10)

John Wetton [1997] Arkangel

[01] The Circle Of St. Giles
[02] The Last Thing On My Mind
[03] Desperate Times
[04] I Can't Lie Anymore
[05] Arkangel
[06] You Against The World
[07] Be Careful What You Wish For
[08] Emma
[09] Nothing Happens For Nothing
[10] All Grown Up
[11] After All
[12] The Celtic Cross
[13] Magazines
[14] Woman



progarchives: For this 1998 release, Wetton brought in several prog heavyweights, including Steve Hackett and Robert Fripp, but strangely, he recorded one of his most vocal and pop orientated albums. There's much more Asia to this album and much less King Crimson/Uriah Heep, indeed many of the songs could have been recorded by Asia had John stayed on. "Nothing happens for nothing" for example is an Asia song, pure and simple, with a strong upbeat melody and a catchy hook. There are plenty of ballads and slow acoustic songs too. Of these, the title track and "All grown up" are among the most emotional and enjoyable. The album opens rather deceptively, with a fine if brief instrumental "The circle of St Giles". The mood of the album though is quickly encapsulated in the pop/rock of "The last thing on my mind" (no relation to the Tom Paxton song), a fine song but far from challenging. The other instrumental, "The Celtic Cross" has more than hint of Mark Knopfler's inspirational theme music for the film "Local hero". The final two tracks, "Magazines" and the live recording of "Woman" are hidden bonus songs, which do not appear on all releases of the album. Both are fine, if a tad ordinary, slow Wetton ballads. For those who enjoy the voice of John Wetton, this is a good listen. The songs may be relatively simple, but they are flawlessly performed, and superbly produced.
(progarchives 6/10)