Sleep Through the Static is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, released in the U.S. on February 5, 2008. The effort was announced on Johnson's personal website as renovation began for the release of this new album. It was recorded at L.A.'s Solar Powered Plastic Plant, which makes it Johnson's first album not made in Hawaii.

This more political album was played live for the first time at the BBC in December for a select number of fans. It has been reviewed by music critics around the world to mostly unenthusiastic reception. Some critics have complained that the album is an array of mature songs in his typical style, rather than the stylistic explosion they had expected. This, however, was received as good news by most long-standing fans.

The first single, "If I Had Eyes", was released via Johnson's MySpace page on December 17, 2007. It was followed by "Sleep Through the Static".

The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 375,000 copies in its first week, including 139,000 digital downloads. This was a record high for weekly digital album sales. It also debuted at number one on the Worldwide chart with sales of 577,000.

Sleep Through the Static remained at number one on the Billboard 200 in its second week of release, in which it sold 180,000 copies, as well as its third week, in which it sold 105,000 copies. It fell from the number one spot in its fourth week, in which it placed third with about 92,000 copies sold.

ABOUT JACK JOHNSON
Jack Johnson learned how to surf and skate from his father's best friend Alex Conell. Johnson learned to play the guitar at age 14. At the age of 15, he met his first girlfriend Maya Saxby-Jones, who he says has always had a lasting impact on his music. Inspired by his relationship with Maya, Jack started his musical career with a bang. He was a professional surfer until an accident at Pipeline in which his front teeth were knocked out and he received more than 150 stitches. His best friend Kate Ruocco, was the only one to still believe in him. She helped him continue on his dream. Although that is what most people believe as to when he changed from a surfer to artist, in a recent Rolling Stone Article (March 6,2008) he stated that it actually happened a week before in the finals of the trials of the Pipeline Masters on Oahu. At the age of 17 he became the youngest competitor to ever reach the finals. Jack was eventually disqualified after failing to catch three waves. Jack realized that the competitiveness was too much for him, "guys were ready to kill each other to catch the next wave," Johnson remembers. The accident allowed time for Jack to start on his new passions, the guitar and making music. He stated about the accident, "I like to joke that I hit my head so hard that that's why I'm so mellow, but I think it did mellow me out." While he was recovering in bed, he spent his time writing songs and playing guitar. However, Johnson didn't seriously pursue a career in the arts until his college years at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While in school, he met his wife Kim. Johnson also played rhythm guitar for the party band "Soil," and graduated with a degree in film.

source: Oniracom, wikipedia