Jack Johnson, with help from a few friends, has come through yet again with another warm, trademark acoustic album guaranteed to have anyone who listens to it in a tranquil trance by the time the last track is through.

Though this is the soundtrack for the kids’ movie “”Curious George,”” and the lyrics seem to be geared to such an audience, it is still fresh and creative.

The track “”Upside Down”” truly embodies Johnson’s rich, soothing brand we are used to from Brushfire Fairytales or On and On, but as the album progresses, we reach such children’s hymns as “”The Sharing Song”” and “”The 3 R’s,”” which features the chorus, “”Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”” On a more sophisticated note, the album features G. Love, Matt Costa and Ben Harper, who all make for a relaxing, delicate duo with Johnson.

All in all, Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George has everything Johnson embodies aside from his philosophically insightful lyrics. It is a definite must on any Johnson fan’s list, but it might not be the album for any closet Johnson fan to come out to.

-Luke Mihalovic

The album ‘Sno Angel Like You is Howe Gelb’s newest project, which incorporates a small gospel choir. Don’t be fooled, this album is not gospel music, but it does maintain a positive feel through each song.

Gelb’s voice sounds like a vocal mixture of musicians such as Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello. The pitch of his voice is deep and smooth, which presents his music in a mature manner. Gelb is resilient, which explains why he has been on the music scene for the past two decades.

The album’s most enjoyable song is the third track, “”But I Did Not.”” The Canadian gospel choir brightly sings while trading off with Gelb’s storytelling lyrics. The song picks up as it goes, making it catchy enough to stick in your head.

The album is uniquely titled ‘Sno Angel Like You and if you say it fast enough it translates to “”there’s no angel like you.”” There is certainly no angel like Gelb.

-Katy Graham