HAVING heard friends rave about the talents of Jack Johnson, I have to say I was quite excited at the prospect of listening to some of his offerings.

Not to be put off by the title Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George (no, I hadn't heard of it!) and the interesting illustrations on the sleeve, I settled down for what friends had promised to be some quality entertainment.

"Entertaining", yes, but "quality" is a bit debatable. The songs are catchy and easy to listen to, but after a few listens tend to merge into one long piece of background music. The lyrics are pseudo-deep, trying to say something meaningful but still adhering to strict schoolboy rhyming and, despite lots of words, actually saying very little.

It's all very pleasant, and wonderful for long journeys in the car or to be played while you're eating your dinner but if you're sitting down for a serious listen to quality music with inspiring or impressive lyrics, then you may well be disappointed.

Perhaps it's because my friends had become acquainted with Mr Johnson's work while travelling the world that they were so taken by it.

Unfortunately for those of us enjoying the down-to-earth fun of day-to-day life in Britain, the shine is somewhat taken off his work.

ECB