On and On

iTunes Review

Johnson’s second album keeps the mellow acoustic grooves and laid-back approach fully intact. Yet, he also tackles a wider range of subject matter, much of which is hardly pleasant at all. Tracks like the reggae-inflected “The Horizon Has Been Defeated,” the solemn “Traffic in the Sky,” and the gently delivered “Gone” are “anti-bling” warnings against materialism, over-development, and capitalist values. “Holes to Heaven” seems to have been inspired by a trip to India. On tracks like these, Johnson’s appeal is in his ability to make your medicine go down smoothly. He may be sugarcoating the more unsettling messages, but he’s still getting them down. Tracks such as “Tomorrow Morning,” “Cupid,” and “Wasting Time” are effortless little love songs, effective thanks to their economy and guilelessness. Also here is the infectious “Rodeo Clowns,” a song written by Johnson but first recorded by pal G. Love when Johnson was still mainly a surfer.