I just purchased this album yesterday from Amazon. After previously buying On and On, I have to admit I wasn't in a real hurry to buy Jack's new album. My first taste of In Between Dreams was while watching the music video for Sittin Waiting Wishing. I wasnt that impressed with this song initially, especially after being captivated by the Taylor music video clip from On and On.
On and On took me awhile to get into because after hearing Taylor and buying the On and On album i found alot of the songs mediocre at first, I found listening several times the way to get into the album however.

After not worrying about the album for a month or two, I began teaching myself acoustic guitar and learning Jack Johnson tabs. This got me back into Jack, and sparked an interest in the new album.
So I bought the album and was quite impressed with the unique album cover which is prevalent in JJ'S albums.
My first run through the album I thought, oh great, a mediocre album that sounded similar throughout, but i continued to listen knowing that once you get into Jack's groove and vibe the songs suddenly come alive in a unique subtle way.

The opener Better Together has a very happy and gentle approach, quite a nice little song, very innocent. Never Know I havent found has appealed to me much, mostly due to Jack's annoying voice on the chorus. When I first looked at the title Banana Pancakes, I thought it would be a pathetic song due to the comical title but I was proven wrong. This track is simple yet upbeat and catchy, nice rain effect aswell. I would have to say the stand out track for me is Good People. Its so simple with the chorus 'whered all the good people go?' but its very catchy and a real feel good song with a reggae sorta beat to it. No Other Way was good but not a standout. Sitting waiting wishing has begun to grow on me now. To me it's Jacks most sophisticated song to date, instrumentally, there is more depth with a piano involved.Lyrically its about as good as Jack can get. Im not a huge fan of Jacks lyrics which I find often overly comical and sometimes predictable but these lyrics said something to me. The whole feel of this song wasnt too mellow like some of Johnson's other hits such as Times Like These etc. Instrumentally I appreciated Staple it Together,I found some Hendrix inspired guitar inside but I didnt really like the main chorus and found it abit monotone.
Situations was a very typical Jack Johnson filler style song evident in On and On. It didnt have any particular structure and a length of barely over a minute, more of a sample clip of a full song. However I did like the guitar, which is quite similar during the verses of Taylor. Im not a big fan of Crying Shame either, it contains a good buildup but an annoying disappointing main chorus. If I could contains a looping guitar part similar to Traffic in the Sky but it creates a somber atmosphere (in a good way) to the song. I quite like this song which I see as abit of a quiet achiever in the album. Breakdown is a reasonable, above-mediocre song with a catchy melody, my only criticism is the lyrics with Johnson's constant references to an old train. Belle is a favourite of mine on the album, as I see it as one of Jack's most experimental and original tracks in his short musical career. Do You Remember is a sweet lovesong that may cause a tear to be shed, a good song overall with lyrics that tell a story, it gives us an insight into Jack's youth. Constellations annoys me lyric-wise but contains gentle guitar and a nice catchy and gentle melody, a real good finisher to the album.

After listening to this album afew times now (even as Im typing this) I can say it is Jack's best album to date. What has annoyed me has been countless reviews on Jack Johnson on all of his album pages saying that he is the greatest lyricist, songwriter etc. He creates good relaxing music but can be overrated. While saying this, I do like his music, but it is not my absolute favourite, it more grows on me. Brushfire Fairytales to me was boring and similar throughout and OVERRATED (to all users praising it to death). On and On was better but contained alot of filler, andf also a tad too mellow......In Between Dreams is a more sophisticated approach and has shown how Jack has grown musically. It is more upbeat, a little more experimental (in my opinion) to its predecessors and is showing Jack's increasing mainstream popularity worldwide. Definitely worth purchasing!