Meet the Moonlight is the eighth studio album by American musician Jack Johnson.[4] The album was released on June 24, 2022, and marks Johnson's first release in five years. Johnson worked with producer Blake Mills on the album,[5] and released the lead single "One Step Ahead" on April 8, 2022.
| Meet the Moonlight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 24, 2022 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 35:26 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Blake Mills | |||
| Jack Johnson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Meet the Moonlight | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All Music |   [1] |
| Evening Standard | [2] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10[3] |
Production
editJohnson worked on this album with producer Blake Mills who had previously worked with Alabama Shakes and Fiona Apple. In an article with Rolling Stone, Johnson was asked how he connected with Mills, he stated, "When Blake and I first got in touch we'd send each other playlists, and over time we realized we were drawn to music that sounds effortless despite all the effort put into making it. After a while we got a language together and I gained a trust in him that allowed me to let go, push outside my comfort zone, and get to a sound I really loved."[6]
Recording
editThe album was recorded at The Mango Tree, Jack's home studio, and at EastWest Studios and Sound City Studios in Los Angeles.[7] In an interview with Kyle Meredith from Consequence of Sound, Johnson stated that most of the album was recorded by Johnson and Mills themselves, and his band of Zach Gill, Merlo Podleweski and Adam Topol added finishing touches.[5] Johnson praised Mills for his guitar playing, and stated that he is one of the greatest guitar players of all time in an interview with Zane Lowe.[8]
Commercial performance
editThe album performed poorly in many nations compared to previous Jack Johnson releases. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 47 with 13,787 units sold, 10,292 being pure album sales.[9][10] It is his first studio album not to reach the top 10 since 2001's Brushfire Fairytales. The album also reached number 70 in Australia, ending his streak of 7 straight top 5 albums.[11]
Tour
editOn June 21, 2022, Jack Johnson embarked on a 35-stop tour of the United States to promote the album, entitled the Meet the Moonlight Tour.[12][13] The tour began at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire and visited major cities across the United States (including Hawaii) and Canada. On the tour, Jack Johnson was joined on various dates by artists such as Grammy Award winner Ziggy Marley, Ben Harper, and Durand Jones & The Indications.[13] In November, Jack Johnson toured the album in Australia and New Zealand, accompanied by Ziggy Alberts, Emily Wurramara, and The Black Seeds.[14]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Jack Johnson; "Any Wonder" co-written by Blake Mills
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Open Mind" | 3:33 |
| 2. | "3AM Radio" | 3:16 |
| 3. | "Calm Down" | 3:15 |
| 4. | "One Step Ahead" | 3:11 |
| 5. | "Meet the Moonlight" | 5:05 |
| 6. | "Don't Look Now" | 3:30 |
| 7. | "Costume Party" | 3:29 |
| 8. | "I Tend to Digress" | 2:23 |
| 9. | "Windblown Eyes" | 4:08 |
| 10. | "Any Wonder" | 3:36 |
| Total length: | 35:26 | |
Personnel
edit- Jack Johnson – vocals, bass, bottles, drums, guitar, percussion, slide guitar, ukulele
- Blake Mills – production, mixing, bass, drums, guitar, organ, percussion, slide guitar (all tracks); background vocals (1)
- Joseph Lorge – mixing, engineering
- Patricia Sullivan – mastering
- Zach Gill – melodica (1), piano (5–7), background vocals (6), organ (7)
- Merlo Podlewski – vibraphone (1), percussion (3)
- Adam Topol – drums (4), percussion (4, 6)
Charts
edit| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] | 70 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 58 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17] | 84 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] | 45 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[19] | 58 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] | 11 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[21] | 36 |
| US Billboard 200[22] | 47 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[23] | 10 |
References
edit- ^ Smyth, David (July 14, 2022). "Jack Johnson - Meet the Moonlight review". All Music. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
- ^ Smyth, David (June 24, 2022). "Jack Johnson - Meet the Moonlight review: Unhurried and simply affecting". Evening Standard. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (July 1, 2022). "Jack Johnson: Meet the Moonlight Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Meet The Moonlight by Jack Johnson, June 24, 2022, retrieved June 23, 2022
- ^ a b "Jack Johnson on Meet the Moonlight, Working with Blake Mills, and 20 Years of Brushfire Fairytales". Consequence. May 20, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (April 8, 2022). "Jack Johnson Tries to Cut Through the Noise on New Song 'One Step Ahead'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Jack Johnson returns with new single 'One Step Ahead'". TotalNtertainment. April 11, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Jack Johnson: The Zane Lowe Interview Radio Station on Apple Music". AppleMusic. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ "Jack Johnson". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ "HITS Daily Double". July 3, 2022. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ For Meet the Moonlight: "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 4 July 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1687. Australian Recording Industry Association. July 4, 2022. p. 6.
- ^ "Jack Johnson: Meet the Moonlight Tour Dates 2022 Concert Dates & Events". Discotech. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ a b "Meet The Moonlight Tour". Jack Johnson Music. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ Brereton, Greta (June 27, 2022). "Jack Johnson announces 'Meet The Moonlight' 2022 Australian and New Zealand tour". NME. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 4 July 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1687. Australian Recording Industry Association. July 4, 2022. p. 6.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jack Johnson – Meet the Moonlight" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ "Jack Johnson Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jack Johnson – Meet the Moonlight" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2022/06/29 公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Jack Johnson – Meet the Moonlight". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ "Jack Johnson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "Jack Johnson Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2022.