Jack Johnson is a good person, everybody, and to remind us all of that the singer-songwriter has announced the release of a new charity-driven live album called “Jack Johnson and Friends – Best of Kokua Festival”, a title that actually just made me fall asleep for five minutes. But what does that matter when the very future of our planet is at stake?
The 13 tracks that make up the LP have been culled from six years of performances featured at the Hawaii-based musician’s long-running Kokua Festival, which serves to raise funds for the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, a non-profit started by Johnson and his ethereal and generous wife Kim in 2003. The organization is focused on supporting environmental education in Hawaii’s schools, a totally righteous cause that I can say nothing at all sarcastic about. Which is painful for me, but so be it.
As if all of that weren’t enough, Johnson will be embarking on a seven-date, all-acoustic Hawaiian tour in support of the record beginning on April 19th (see the full listing of dates below), with the album itself hitting stores on April 17th. The proceeds from both will benefit the Kokua foundation, but of course that goes without saying. I mean we’re talking about Jack Johnson here, who is a giving man and a beautiful soul with nothing but love in his heart.
The album’s track listing includes collaborations with a host of similarly amazing human beings/musicians including Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper and more. Covers on the record include Bob Marley”s “High Tide or Low Tide” (featuring Harper), Bob Dylan”s “I Shall Be Released” (featuring Vedder) and Jimmy Buffet”s “A Pirate Looks at Forty” (featuring Matthews and Tim Reynolds). Yo, that’s some beautiful stuff right there. Can we please all join hands now?
There are a lot of other incredible things about Jack Johnson and his foundation that I simply don’t have the time or the energy to list here (but only because of how emotional I’m getting over how essentially good he is), but rest assured they are truly wonderful.
As a matter of fact, I have below included a link to the Koku Hawaii Foundation’s website, because that’s the kind of person Johnson has inspired me to be. You can also check out the album’s official tracklisting, cover art and Johnson’s concert dates by scrolling down, but before you do, please say a prayer for Mother Earth. Because dammit, she needs our help.
Cover art and tracklisting:
1. Better Together – Jack Johnson with Paula Fuga
2. Cry, Cry, Cry – Ziggy Marley with Jack Johnson & Paula Fuga
3. A Pirate Looks At Forty – Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
4. Mudfootball – Jack Johnson with Ozomatli & G. Love
5. Constellations – Jack Johnson with Eddie Vedder & Kawika Kahiapo
6. Take It Easy – Jackson Browne with Jack Johnson & John Cruz
7. Island Style – John Cruz with Jack Johnson & Jackson Browne
8. Breakdown – Jack Johnson with Jake Shimabukuro
9. Further On Down The Road – Taj Mahal with Jack Johnson
10. Welcome To Jamrock – Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley with Jack Johnson & Paula Fuga
11. High Tide or Low Tide – Ben Harper & Jack Johnson
12. Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain – Willie Nelson with Jack Johnson & Ben Harper
13. I Shall Be Released – Jack Johnson, Eddie Vedder, Zach Gill & Friends
Tour dates:
An acoustic evening with Jack Johnson, John Cruz and Paula Fuga
April 19th Kauai Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center
April 21st and 22nd Oahu Hawaii Theatre
April 25th and 26th Maui Castle Theatre
April 28th and 29th Big Island Kahilu Theatre
Link to the Kokua Hawaii Foundation’s website: https://kokuahawaiifoundation.org/
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