shenandoah valley. the blue ridge mountains. skyline drive. harrisonburg, virginia.
this is where i went to college. this is where i fell in love. this is where i grew into the person i am today.
it is also where i was introduced to jack johnson. this may sound odd... that i was introduced to a hawaiian surfer guitarist in the land of bluegrass, country, and folk music is odd in itself. but for some reason jack johnson's music was perfect for a college student who was loving life.
i remember exactly where i was when i first heard brushfire fairytales. my friend josh had invited me to go out somewhere - maybe the local wafflehouse? - wherever we were going, it was late at night, and we were hungry. josh popped in this cd, and i was instantly hooked. it was laid-back, upbeat, poetic, and deeply musical inspite of its simplicity. i knew almost immediately that i needed to track down this album for my own collection.i still consider it to be brilliant music. songs like "fortunate fool", "the news", and "f-stop blues", are beautiful, timeless, and deeply meaningful. others like "flake" or "mudfootball" are playful pieces of music in a lazy saturday afternoon kind of way.
jack johnson's other albums are also worth checking out (we even chose to use his song "better together" in our wedding ceremony) but i think this one (his first) is his most raw and maybe his best.
simply put, his music has been a part of my life.you can check out the rest of the albums in my favorite 20 album countdown by clicking on any of the links below.
1. u2 - the joshua tree
2. dave matthews band - crash
3. cake - comfort eagle
4. blue rodeo - five days in july
5. the beach boys - pet sounds
6. coldplay - viva la vida
7. weezer - pinkerton
8. mates of state - re-arrange us
9. radiohead - ok computer
10. nickel creek - this side
11. u2 - how to dismantle an atomic bomb
12. the beatles - the white album
13. sloan - one chord to another
14. o.a.r. - risen
15. paul simon - graceland
