Meet the Moonlight

by Jack Johnson

Overview

Jack Johnson doesn't do anything forcefully. Gentle, mellow vibes have been his stock in trade since his 2011 debut, Brushfire Fairytales, and that doesn't change on Meet the Moonlight, his eighth studio album, delivered some 21 years after his first. That's a long stretch of time to mine the same vein, but the relaxed vibes of Meet the Moonlight are somewhat deceptive; underneath the placid surface, Johnson is taking a few risks. Much of the shift can be attributed to his collaboration with Blake Mills, a guitarist who usually works with such indie rock and Americana acts as Fiona Apple and Alabama Shakes. Mills doesn't bring the noise or explicitly arty attacks to the laid-back environs of Jack Johnson. Rather, Mills coaxes out the atmosphere, allowing "One Step Ahead" to pulsate to a vibrant, colorful, and relaxed beat, and letting "Costume Party" unfurl with an appealingly languid gait. Other parts of Meet the Moonlight also have readily apparent textures -- "3AM Radio" gurgles softly, "Don't Look Now" almost has an urgency to its chorus -- but the Mills approach lets such spare numbers as the closing "Any Wonder" feel full and realized, and not like sketches. These subtle shifts and shadings help make Meet the Moonlight a quietly adventurous album as well as one of Jack Johnson's best. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/24/2022
Label:	Island / Republic
UPC:	0602445386635
Rank:	5538

Tracks

1. Open Mind
2. 3 a.m. Radio
3. Calm Down
4. One Step Ahead
5. Meet The Moonlight
6. Don¿¿¿t Look Now
7. Costume Party
8. I Tend To Digress
9. Windblown Eyes
10. Any Wonder

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jack Johnson   Primary Artist,Bass,Drums,Bottle,Guitar,Vocals,Ukulele,Percussion,Slide Guitar
Blake Mills   Bass,Drums,Organ,Guitar,Percussion,Slide Guitar,Drums (Steel),Featured Artist,Moog Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Zach Gill   Organ,Piano,Melodica,Vocals (Background)
Merlo Podlewski   Bass,Percussion,Vibraphone
Adam Topol   Cajon,Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Jack Johnson   Composer
Blake Mills   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Emmett Malloy   Creative Director
Kizzy ONeal   Creative Director
Kim Johnson   Art Direction,Creative Director
Jeff Canham   Design,Artwork
Josh Nicotra   Creative Director
Joseph Lorge   Mixing,Engineer
Patricia Sullivan   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Morgan Maassen   Photography
Joni Sternbach   Photography