Jack Johnson

Whether you love the back-to-roots message of his bonfire-perfect tunes or loathe his seemingly effortless rise to international fame, UCSB grad and occasional local Jack Johnson remains Santa Barbara’s most celebrated son. On his latest album, Johnson lets loose like never before, with songs that jam and jangle to match the thick locks that he’s grown from his once perma-shaved dome. That’s not to say To the Sea is crazy complicated, or that you won’t be able to recognize the latest hit when it inevitably starts pumping in your local grocery store, but the drums hit harder, the guitars get more than strummed, and Jack even wails on the mike from time to time. Despite enduring the tragic death of his enigmatic father while penning the disc—which is dedicated to his dad’s memory—To the Sea is perhaps the most fun-loving Jack collection yet: a reminder that life is for celebrating, even when it passes on to the next realm.