By Jim Fusco:
Hello everyone and welcome to another new edition of the Laptop Sessions with Jim Fusco! Glad to be back for my regularly-scheduled Thursday timeslot. Remember- check back every two weeks for a brand-new video!
I went into a bit of a Jack Johnson phase recently because I ordered his new album, “To the Sea” on vinyl. I was home cleaning or working one Saturday morning and decided to fire-up the record player. I instantly liked the album and decided to add it to my car rotation. However, I still hadn’t listened to Johnson’s previous album, “Sleep Through the Static”, from a couple of years ago. I even bought it on the first day it came out, but was in another phase at the time (can’t remember what band). My brother Mike didn’t give “Sleep Through the Static” great reviews, so I thought others should come first. And there the album sat. First at the condo, then in my car, and finally in my new house.
So, I listened to “Sleep Through the Static”. It’s not a bad album. But, it’s not a great album, either. I mean, the songs are fine- I really have yet to find a Jack Johnson song I don’t like. But, and I’m being completely honest here, there’s not too many Jack Johnson songs I truly “LOVE”. “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” is probably the closest. But, all of Johnson’s songs have that same vibe and are semi-simple, for the most part. Now, if you know anything about my musical tastes, you’ll know that those two traits are things I like in music. But, on “Sleep Through the Static”, the music is very low-key. There’s a lot of slow songs and nothing too catchy.
But on “To The Sea”, you start with “You and Your Heart”, which (in my opinion) is the catchiest, most single-worthy song since “Upside Down” off of the Curious George soundtrack. And since this isn’t a kids’ song, it should get a bit more respect. Mike doesn’t like the way Johnson sings the verses to “You and Your Heart”, so I hope I did a “better” job with that. 🙂
The song, as I mentioned earlier, is pretty simple to play. If I had accompaniment, I would’ve played the riff the whole way through, though it’s very difficult to do while singing lead. I chose to do rhythm guitar for most of the song because it sounds better on a solo performance and helps me keep time better. It took quite a few takes to get this one right- those fast-paced words during the verses are very tricky. The first line starts with, “Watch you when you say what you…” That’s three “you”s in the first seven words of the song! But, Jack Johnson’s alliteration has always been his strong point, lyrically.
I hope you enjoy tonight’s video. I’ve got the next three videos planned-out already and they’re sure to please. A quick note on my musical ambitions: The new website is coming along nicely after a tedious start (coding!) and I’ve started creating a new Facebook page just for me and my music. Also, please remember to follow me on Twitter @jimfuscomusic! You’ll get up-to-the-minute news and will always be notified of new videos and blog posts.
I’ll be back sooner if I can get the new website done first, but if not, I’ll see you in two weeks. For now, enjoy, “You and Your Heart”!