Brushfire Fairytales

Artist: Jack Johnson

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Average Rating: (See all 11 reviews) Label: Universal Records (USA) Usually ships within 6-11 days (102 available) 1  Inaudible Melodies 2  Middle Man 3  Posters 4  Sexy Plexi 5  Flake 6  Bubble Toes 7  Fortunate Fool 8  The News 9  Drink the Water 10  Mudfootball (For Moe Lerner) 11  F-Stop Blues 12  Losing Hope 13  It's All Understood Performer Notes Personnel includes: Jack Johnson (vocals, guitar, piano); Ben Harper (slide guitar); Merlo (bass); Adam Topol (drums, percussion); Tommy Jordan (steel drums). Surfer-turned-rocker Jack Johnson has composed songs for G. Love and Special Sauce, and is signed to Ben Harper's manager's record label, so it's no surprise that his debut turns out to be the kind of laid-back acoustic funk beloved of fans of both those outfits. What is surprising, however, is the unpretentious way these songs are presented--BRUSHFIRE FAIRYTALES is packed with bare-bones arrangements that highlight Johnson's catchy way with a lyric, so that when something unusual happens, such as the steel drums that dimly inhabit the background of "Flake," it's almost shocking. Johnson's songs are simultaneously well crafted and executed in an almost throwaway manner. "Fortunate Fool" is airy yet acidic--this surfer dude is no airhead--while "F-Stop Blues," on the surface a paean to the surfer lifestyle, is really a lament for wasted time that features Johnson's pleasant, lazy vocals to excellent effect. BRUSHFIRE FAIRYTALES displays the kind of insouciance born of innocence, almost as if no-one involved cared if the album sold ten copies or ten million--and of course that's the attraction. Professional Reviews Q (11/02, p.103) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...It's laidback stuff, subtly melodious and really rather charming..." Uncut (12/02, p.134) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Johnson's sensitivity is authentic, and there's a chilled freshness and a hip hop lite inflection to his vocals..." Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Johnson's songs are wordy and subtly funky, his voice sinewy....Cool..." Producer: JP Plunier Format: CD (1 Disc); Stereo Country: USA Quantity Available: 102 UPC: 042286099422 Studio/Live: Studio Release Date: 29 January 2002

This would have to be my favorite of Jacks albums because it seems to have more energy and more bounce than his other albums.

He really has a great sound thats a mix of soft, funky and moody. If you like relaxing music that you can put on in a party, a sunday morning, or in your headphones to relax, then this is a great album.

You would be hard to come by a person who hasn't heard and liked at least a few of the songs from this album. Definitely my no1 favorite of his music.

This cd is great listening with really mellow and relaxing tracks which have a cool feel. This is jack Johnsons first album and the easy listening tracks reflect his laid back approach to life as an ex-surfer who lives just off the pipeline reef. Classic songs like "flake" and "bubble toes" are all through this cd and it is a great summer album.

This is the mellowest, most relaxing album in the world. Definitely his best. The great melodies flow like rivers into your ears. Check it out and you wont be disappointed. Flake is just brilliant. Bubble toes is great. In fact the whole album is magic. Get this album now.

BORING! if i could choose one word to descirbe this album it would be that. all the songs on here sound like the smash radio hit Flake, and there is not variation at all, as the same acoustical guitars are used which create no new sounds at all. i dont really understand how anyone can enjoy this album, unless you like really repetitive things, which this album is.

How can such a seemingly simple, barely instrumented album sound so convincing, so riveting? Great lyrics, sung with perfect (nearly telepathic) intonation by Jack Johnson and great communitative playing come together to grab your attention. You can sense something transcendent, something spiritual while listening to Brushfire. Very special and highly recommended.

I'm a big fan of acoustic-based singer/songwriter stuff, so I thought I might like Jack Johnson too. And at first I did. His music is laid back, quite catchy, softly sung, undemanding. Anybody would like it, I guess. But after a while I started to find this CD a bit annoying. When you listen over and over to something really good, it reveals things you didn't see the first few times you played it. But all that's revealed here is a rather `lite' and one-dimensional approach to songwriting and arranging. Lyrics that sound cute at first soon sound empty. It's okay on whimsical songs like `Sexy Plexi', but when he tries to be more serious it doesn't hit the mark. And you may soon tire, as I did, of the crack of the drum that accompanies every song, not to mention that one guitar lick Jack can manage and always does. The band's instrumentation is admittedly fairly minimal, but somebody like Josh Ritter or Garrin Benfield gets more variety with just a guitar and fewer notes.
So ultimately, this one has landed back on the shelf where I fear it will gather dust. It simply doesn't have enough depth or breadth.

I got this one first, didnt stop listening to it. Love jack, he's got some solid talent. Its real good to just flick on when studying or chilling out. This music always cheers me up when im in a bad mood, and jack johnson is pretty much my favourite artist. Lots of people reckon his music "is all the same" but i don't mind cause its real good stuff.

pfft, boring sufer rock, so bland it is likely to literally put you to sleep, that is how little variation there is in the lyrics, tone of voice, and beats. sounds lyk theres heaps of sleepy beats on this tht it is meant to put small kids to sleep. i really dont like this cd, its so boring, and should never be played in public.

Yet another effort by the king of bland for me to pay out on.
There is and never will be a good Jack Johnson song. He can play guitar (good for him so can a s***load of other people). His voice is flat, mundane and monotenous.
So Brushfire like the rest of the ensemble should be cast into oblivion and never lsitened to then we can all forget he even exists.

I heard this long before it was a radio sensation, and the whole time I was wondering why it wasn’t. It has a poetic and simple charm to it that has you humming along throughout the album. Aside from the single “Flake” there are many good songs on here, some of those being “Inaudible Melodies” and “Bubble Toes”. Highly recommended.