Jack Johnson, “Meet The Moonlight.”

Jack Johnson is still the king of easy listening music. Johnson’s newest album, Meet the Moonlight, is his first released in five years. Oh how we’ve missed you, Jack. The album breeds emotional comfort and features the classic island style of music for which the Hawaiian singer-songwriter is known. If you’re on the search for a taste of paradise in summer, crack on with this relaxing musical masterstroke.

On the album’s first song, “Open Mind,” Johnson and his band explore the empathetic depths of consciousness with a fretless guitar and lyrics like “I’m finding it so hard to keep an open mind/ Open up the windows there’s a storm inside.” The beautiful and relaxing chimes of a vibraphone add a warm tonal depth to the number.

The album’s motifs of healthy connection and wellness invite the listener to be present in life and strive for joy, especially during these hectic times.

“Calm Down” is an essential song to add to your beach playlist. The slide guitar draws out the soothing vibes while a steady drumbeat and acoustic guitar pleasantly meld with Johnson’s warm voice. His lyrical prowess and poetic style are on full display with lyrics like, ” No lost time if there’s no time/ Only echos to remind us/ These washed-out roads/ Where these tired feet fall/ People come and go/ Won’t you come to me and…/ Calm me down.”

Meanwhile, “3AM Radio” feels like a ride-along song and features a groovy lick on the acoustic guitar. Johnson shows off his talk-singing in a laidback style. It makes you wonder: Who does Johnson take on a late-night cruise at 3 a.m. in Hawaii? Perhaps surfing’s all-time great Kelly Slater, with whom Johnson has been known to surf.

The standout single on the album, “One Step Ahead,” starts slow with soft, sweet-sounding licks on the guitar, reminiscent of a Wes Montgomery jazz riff. The song picks up with the drumming and blasts through in a familiar soft rock sound that Johnson has mastered over the years.

The title track, “Meet the Moonlight,” uses a dreamy soundscape that’ll activate your mind’s eye and transport you to a time when you stared out at the moon in your backyard. Johnson plays a racy solo that blends together with a background acoustic guitar to form a beautiful reverberation; perhaps the kind of sound you might hear at heaven’s gates.

“Costume Party” is an unassuming number; that is, until it gets to the seductive guitar solo. Johnson busts out a pop-rock blues solo that will leave air guitarists everywhere doing their best impression.

“Windblown Eyes” is about being at sea. Johnson settles into his classic airy sound on the acoustic guitar. Then, very unexpectedly at about the 90-second mark, a steel drum accompanies him as he vocalizes an “oooooooh.” Together they form a trancelike soundscape that could pass for electronic dance music. Though short-lived, the “drop” is a playful twist.

On “Any Wonder,” Johnson reaches deep into his roots on the acoustic guitar. He finds the low licks, steady rhythms and uplifting chords that pour out the essential unplugged feeling of the 1990s. You’d be forgiven if you mistake the first few seconds of the song for a Kurt Cobain cover of the Meat Puppets. The song is bittersweet, producing potent feelings of happiness and sadness at the same time. The guitar sounds bitter, and Johnson’s voice sweet. Lyrics like “Light will come and go/ We get so lost somehow/ You can always come back home” straddle the line between melancholy and joy. The song ends with Johnson climbing high with strong vocals before his voice fades into the guitar.

It’s refreshing to hear an artist in their butter zone; not trying to be someone he’s not. Jack Johnson has a genuine and loving sound that’s in full effect on Meet the Moonlight. But the album is not without artistic growth. His playful compositions play to his strengths while also exploring new territory.