Hawaiian surfer-turned- musician Jack Johnson has been quietly sneered at by music snobs since his arrival in 2001 with 'Brushfire Fairytales', but their snootiness is not completely without merit. You see, Jack Johnson's music is, simply put, arse-numbingly, teeth-grindingly, head-cradlingly boring. Oh, it's fine if that arse is plonked on a sandy beach somewhere, sipping beer and licking marshmallow gloop from your fingers, or if you're a hair's breadth from splashing a nip of brandy into a screaming child's milk bottle. Unless you're naturally predisposed to music so laid-back it's comatose, however, there's nothing on his fifth studio album, Sleep Through the Static, that will rouse or galvanize you into changing your mind. While Johnson's amiable-but-plain vocals are pleasantry personified, the few tracks worth mentioning here (If I Had Eyes, What You Thought You Need, Hope) are still bog-standard, mid-tempo, acoustic rock calamities. Indeed, the few tracks with the slightest pep in their step just sound like Ben Harper-lite - no coincidence, perhaps, considering that Harper's producer JP Plumier, who also helmed Johnson's debut, returns here. Lyrics? You want lyrics? Try Angel, as sickly-sweet as its name suggests: ("I've got an angel / She doesn't wear any wings.. She gives me presents / With her presence"). Further mirth is provided by the inclusion of a bonus 'acoustic' track (?!!), and to top it all off, this album was recorded in Los Angeles using 100% solar power! Wow! All that means, however, is that Sleep Through the Static may be an eco-warrior's dream, but it's also a narcoleptic's nightmare. How's your surfing, Jack?

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