The king of "music that makes you feel like you're at the beach" is back with his first studio album since 2005's In Between Dreams. Jack Johnson, a former professional surfer, is dealing with darker personal and political themes here, although you wouldn't necessarily know it from listening to him.
The title track, about the Iraq war, must be one of the most chilled out protest songs ever recorded. Although they are a little clunky, the lyrics are actually reasonably angry ("Shock and awful thing to make somebody think/That they have to choose pushing for peace, supporting the troops/And either you're weak or you use brute force") but if you were not paying attention you could play it 100 times and think you were humming along to another meditation on being in love.
Despite the subject matter, if anything it is blander than In Between Dreams, but there are a few songs like They Do, They Don't and the jazzy Monsoon with just enough pep to stop things becoming completely horizontal. In other hands, this mixture of quirky, reflective lyrics and feel-good tunes would be nothing more than sickly and solipsistic, but Johnson has enough charm to pull it off, just about.
@email:estimson@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Company%20Profile
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers