Johnson's latest 'Dreams' a success

Jack Johnson traded in his surfboard for a guitar when he was 14 and has since secured international success with On and On, and his January 2001 debut, Brushfire Fairytales. His latest album, In Between Dreams, was released March 1, and the first single "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," already has people anticipating that sweet, Cat Stevens-esque simplicity that he mastered on his first two recordings.\nOn his third album, Johnson takes the reins by writing all the lyrics and 11 out of 14 songs, all of which were recorded at the Mango Tree — a fancy name for his own garage in Oahu, Hawaii. And Johnson definitely sounds at home, not straying too far from his characteristically "acoustic-funk" brand of music. His lyrics remain insightful and conversational, as if they were first spoken aloud, then placed unedited with the music. The mood is also familiar, though a thicker slice of optimism can be detected in the album as a whole.\nJohnson is a genius in the fact that he can keep all kinds of musical tricks up his sleeve, only to reveal them bit by bit as each song progresses. The fluidity of the album is found in the consistent tempos and instrumentation, but the unconventional composition styles ("Staple It Together") and avant-garde subject matter ("Situations") serve as hidden surprises. It's remarkable that the majority of the songs have no more than one or two lines to serve as the chorus, but Johnson's repetition refuses to sound tired. One song, "Bella," features seven short lyric lines and lasts about a minute, but includes one of the most beautiful melodies on the album. \nIn searching for criticism, most of the songs lack the refreshing catchiness of the choruses on such hits as "Bubble Toes" and "Flake." In Between Dreams alludes to a less lucid, more obscure sort of songwriting, so that just might have been what this surfer boy was going for.