Sleep Through the Static

The world has its ways to quiet us down, sings Johnson on "Adrift," but as this album underlines, he's never hit anybody over the head with his message. Instead, Johnson sneaks up on us with his warm, melodic murmur and casually poetic observations. Whether he's delivering dreamy, acoustic ballads like "Same Girl" or throwing down grooves like the easy-rolling R&B of the title track or the sun-drenched beachfront reggae of "Hope," the Hawaiian songsmith eases his way in like a warm, hibiscus-scented breeze.