The front cover of this album has Jack with an electric guitar in hand.  Don’t count on that representing Sleep Through the Static though – it’s business as usual for the world’s most laid-back superstar.

With an extra member drafted into his gang, you could be forgiven if you thought this could signal a departure from the norm from the Hawaiian songwriter. Sure, the band add extra groove on ‘Hope’ and first single ‘If I had eyes’, but give or take the odd tinkering of piano or guitar riff, it’s still the emotional lure of Johnson’s words that draw the listener in.

Many songs are written for and about Johnson’s family, but thankfully we don’t feel like we’re spying on a special family moment. Instead, on songs such as ‘Go on’ and ‘Angel’, we’re allowed to drift off and romanticise about our own lives. 

In short, another easy-listening album destined to be in the background of surf shacks, bars and shopping malls Worldwide – like it or not.
(Tim Hill)