Personnel includes: Jack Johnson (vocals, guitar, piano); Ben Harper (slide guitar); Merlo (bass); Adam Topol (drums, percussion); Tommy Jordan (steel drums).
Jack Johnson, the multi-talented American guy who likes to surf and play music, makes an honest impression on his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He's not focused on any genre in particular, but stays close to acoustic simplicities. Ben Harper's producer, J.P. Plunier, lends a hand and perfects Johnson's basic songwriting into a charming and inviting soundscape of songs most personal to Johnson. It's poetically abrasive, especially on tracks like "Sexy Plexi" and "Fortunate Fool," but Jack Johnson is a regular guy and his most natural feelings are indeed candid. "Inaudible Melodies" is a bluesy mix of lazy harmonies and acoustical twitching, whereas "Flake" is an easy flow of American trad rock, quite similar to Dave Matthews, but echoing steel drums and Harper's blistering lap steel guitar make for an outstanding rock & roll romp. Johnson's voice, which is hauntingly like Wes Cunningham, makes Brushfire Fairytales a decent record. He's not noisy or gregarious. He's content with his new creative finding. He might chase waves in his other life, but his songwriting ways do make for something quite charming. ~ MacKenzie Wilson
Surfer-turned-rocker Jack Johnson has composed songs for G. Love and Special Sauce, and is signed to Ben Harper's manager's record label, so it's no surprise that his debut turns out to be the kind of laid-back acoustic funk beloved of fans of both those outfits. What is surprising, however, is the unpretentious way these songs are presented--BRUSHFIRE FAIRYTALES is packed with bare-bones arrangements that highlight Johnson's catchy way with a lyric, so that when something unusual happens, such as the steel drums that dimly inhabit the background of "Flake," it's almost shocking.
Johnson's songs are simultaneously well crafted and executed in an almost throwaway manner. "Fortunate Fool" is airy yet acidic--this surfer dude is no airhead--while "F-Stop Blues," on the surface a paean to the surfer lifestyle, is really a lament for wasted time that features Johnson's pleasant, lazy vocals to excellent effect. BRUSHFIRE FAIRYTALES displays the kind of insouciance born of innocence, almost as if no-one involved cared if the album sold ten copies or ten million--and of course that's the attraction.

Q (11/02, p.103) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...It's laidback stuff, subtly melodious and really rather charming..."
Uncut (12/02, p.134) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Johnson's sensitivity is authentic, and there's a chilled freshness and a hip hop lite inflection to his vocals..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/03, p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Johnson's songs are wordy and subtly funky, his voice sinewy....Cool..."