Jack Johnson & Ozomatli Collaboration :: "It's Only Paper"

photo: Ozomatli

From Spinner.com - "Like most things that Ozomatli create, 'It's Only Paper,' the first single from the band's upcoming album 'Fire Away,' infuses a socially-conscious message with a dance-heavy sonic mosaic of hip-hop, funk and Latin grooves. It's a tapestry that Tony Berg, who produced 'Fire Away,' tells Spinner is "like visiting seven continents simultaneously."

In addition to its apparent ability to transcend the time-space continuum ("musicians without borders?") by traversing across genres, 'It's Only Paper' speaks to the universal issues attached to money. Turns out, money itself isn't the root of all evil. After all, it's "only paper."

Speaking of money, who's that rich kid contributing vocals to this track? Not to worry -- it's only Jack Johnson."

Released by: Mercer Street Records
Album release date: April 20, 2010


Listen to "It's Only Paper" here -

Ozomatli - It's Only Paper by downtownmusic


From a February 18th HI Star Bulletin newspaper article:

“We’ve known Jack for many, many years — way before he’s had the kind of success he has now,” Ozomatli lead singer Raul Pacheco said by phone last week. “Me and his drummer, Adam Topol … I’ve known him since high school. We see each other at festivals all over the world.”

So when Ozomatli spent some time last year at Johnson’s Brushfire Records studio in Los Angeles, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Johnson himself to stop by. What was surprising, however, was his willingness to step in and get involved with the creative proc ess.

“Jack just happened to be there,” Pacheco explained. “He came in and heard some music, he had an idea, put some lyrics down … and from there we kinda just built a song around that.”

The resulting track, “It’s Only Paper,” will serve as the lead single for Ozo matli’s new album, “Fire Away,” set for release on April 20 by Mercer Street Rec ords.

“It’s always good for us as a band to be put in that kind of situation,” Pacheco said. “It’s the type of song that we probably would have never played. It’s an interesting mix for fans of both acts, and more importantly, it’s a good song.”


photo: Jack Johnson