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Rating: * * *
What Donavon Frankenreiter passes round on his third album is - to quote the opening track - a whole lot of "life, love and laughter".
That song is the only problem here because while he's a friendly chap, and you can just imagine him giving you a hug rather than a handshake, it's a little too over-familiar for a first track.
Kind of like your uncle giving your girlfriend a kiss and cuddle when you introduce them for the first time.
Life, Love & Laughter aside, Pass It Around is the surfer and singer/songwriter's most diverse work yet which sees him collaborate with fellow Californians Ben Harper on the horn and slide guitar-infused title track, G. Love (from G. Love and Special Sauce) playing harmonica on cruisy ditty Sing A Song, and Grant Lee Phillips on the beautiful ode to the ocean Mansions On the Sand.
Although last album Move By Yourself had a few mildly raucous moments, Frankenreiter has made his name on songs best suited for listening to in a hammock.
That mood continues here, but he also comes up with a mix of musical styles from shuffling blue-eyed soul on Too Much Water, a wheezy touch of country on Come With Me, and he's joined by a Mexican mariachi band on Your Heart.
Although, whether he brings his new Mexican friends with him when he plays at the MTV Snowjam on Saturday at Terrace Downs Resort, near Mt Hutt, is another story.
Sincemate Jack Johnson produced his simple and workman-like 2004 self-titled debut, Frankenreiter has moved on musically, and this laid-back mix of songs for the hammock and songs from the sea won't disappoint his many fans.
Scott Kara
