In a music world where lyrics rarely have meaning,singer and songwriter Jack Johnson goes against the grain. With his first CD,"Brushfire Fairytales," Johnson offers 13 light, yet expressive,tracks.

A former pro-surfer, Johnson does an amazing job of bringingsubstance back to music while not weighing down his songs. Fairly new to thebusiness, Johnson is barely mainstream, which makes his music all the morefantastic.

While at first listeners might not realize the significance ofhis words, on the second listen, Johnson's ideas become evident. On"Posters," he sings of the issues we all have with our bodies:"Looking at herself but wishing she was someone else/ because the body ofthe doll it don't look like hers at all." Another great set of lyrics is in"The News": "A billion people died on the news tonight/but not somany cried at the terrible sight." It seems Johnson has struck gold bytaking over the role as a teen educator through his lyrics.

The othertracks are more upbeat, but still keep content. For "Flake," the mostfamiliar song, Johnson teams up with Ben Harper. Johnson provides the rhymes andHarper adds the catchy rhythms on this entertaining track. Again, the lyrics arestunningly truthful, especially to a high-school student.

In "BubbleToes," a personal favorite, Johnson takes a unique approach to both thewords and beats. The chorus makes little sense, but it's an amazing song aboutlove, life, dreams and more. The rhythms and creative lyrics are bound to haveeveryone singing along.

Other standouts include "F-StopBlues" and "Mudfootball," the perfect anthem for high-school guysthat captures the essence of a good weekend with best friends.

While hiswords can be confusing, Johnson has an outstanding sense of how songs shouldsound. His guitar always matches the feeling he tries to convey and he keepsthings simple and smooth, making for very easy listening.

"BrushfireFairytales" is the perfect CD for anyone looking to have a great musicalexperience and be enlightened at the same time. Johnson gives a little bit ofsomething for everyone, which makes him all the more versatile and enjoyable.Overall, this CD guarantees a happily-ever-after ending.