Jack Johnson's new CD, "In Between Dreams," shows his maturity as a songwriter who stays true to himself.

They mistake his continued embrace of acoustically spare surf folk as lazy resistance to change rather than the natural musical style he's most comfortable with. They lament his fascination with slow-burn ballads and endearingly blues-funky uptempo jams as woefully same-samey.

Johnson even gets heat for his sweet, normal-guy tenor, which rarely rises above the aural needs of a backyard barbeque.

Johnson shrugs off such criticism like an afternoon of flat surf on the North Shore. That's part of his easygoing charm. And on his third disc, "In Between Dreams," he continues to shrug off outside advice in favor of following his own I-could-give-a-darn-if-I-sell-a-million-again musical muse.

"Dreams" finds Johnson sticking close to the mellow, stripped-down musical formula that's worked for him on 2001's "Brushfire Fairytales" and 2003's "On And On."

Johnson again handles guitars and vocals. "Brushfire" and "On And On" sidemen Adam Topol and Merlo Podlewski accompany on drums/percussion and bass. Producer Mario Caldato Jr. once again lends the proceedings the warm, in-person feel of a garage jam session.

The only outside musical guest is Johnson's Animal Liberation Orchestra buddy Zach Gill, who adds some subtle piano to "Good People" and "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," and conversational accordion on "Belle."

Johnson's ace in the hole has always been the tuneful likability of his songs. And "Dreams" kicks off strongly with two of his best.

The mellow, catchy love sing-along "Better Together" has the kind of instantly infectious flow and goofy lyricism that made "Brushfire's" "Bubble Toes" a hit. "Never Know" matches Johnson's knack for quirky Zen wordplay with an irresistible "Country Comfort"-for-the-post-millennial-set chorus.

The uptempo tracks on "Dreams" best show off Johnson's growing maturity as a songwriter and funk-reggae-and-blues traveler.

First single "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," about a friend's hopeless pursuit of a particular female's affections, has a muscular tempo and soaring chorus underscoring a frustrated love story within. ("I sing your songs/I dance a dance/I gave your friends all a chance/Putting up with them wasn't worth never having you.")

The propulsive blues-funky stomper "Staple It Together" messes further with Johnson's chilled-out vibe. "Breakdown" is better here stripped down than a version Johnson recorded for Prince Paul and Dan the Automator and their Handsome Boy Modeling School. Contrasting the birth of his son with a friend's passing, Johnson's gentle meditation "If I Could" comes off more sweetly hopeful and life-affirming than sad.

Johnson has just-this-side-of cheesy fun as an old husband and new dad on the weekend goof "Banana Pancakes" and a failed international mack daddy on "Belle."

As with its predecessors, the best thing about "In Between Dreams" is Johnson's commitment to staying musically true to himself, regardless of the whims of critics and millions of potential CD buyers. True, his music may no longer hold the sweet appeal of discovery it did in 2002, when the catchy original surf folk of "Flake" and "Bubble Toes" seemed almost otherworldly emanating from a car radio. But it's still wonderfully appealing stuff. And Johnson still owns the genre like no other.