“Superhero Brother”
G. Love & Special Sauce, $13.98

You know, I’ve tried.

I’ve really, really tried, but every time I look for the supposed musical genius and innovation within G. Love’s music, I come up with nothing.

I’ll go so far as to say it’s OK. Never once have I been blown away by anything I’ve heard by him. This new album is no different.

Not surprisingly, Garrett “G. Love” Dutton III is a longtime associate of Jack Johnson. Their music is quite similar stylistically and rhythmically. Dubbed “alternative hip-hop” on Wikipedia, the tunes of the G. Love & Special Sauce trio throws together uninventive melodies with a cacophony of some combination of harmonica, drums, bass, piano and guitar — all led by Dutton’s vocals, at times sung, at other times rapped.

The group’s new record is not far from what one would expect. “Wiggle Worm,” with its wild harmonica and tumbling drumbeats, reminds me of basically everything I’ve heard from G. Love since the beginning; it’s the classic G. Love style.

The record isn’t completely hopeless, however. The driving piano chords on the opening track, “Communication,” are fun and lively. Again, not terribly creative, but not bad to listen to. “Wontcha Come Home” has a sweet, island sound that kind of makes me wish I was sipping something from a coconut shell. On “Grandmother,” the group gets a little jazzy, reminding me of some old Soul Coughing tunes; not a bad thing at all.

I’d say my favorite track, though, is the title song at the very end of the album. G. Love sings along to harmonica and acoustic guitar, putting his signature on a classic blues riff — somewhat familiar, but never unwelcome.

I have a feeling that G. Love’s music is probably a lot more fun to listen to in a live atmosphere — at an outdoor amphitheater full of barefooted neo-hippies, with a cooler of beer and some good friends to talk to. It’s the kind of music that works best interactively, otherwise you can’t really ever feel the energy it aims to convey.