Donavon Frankenreiter

If Jack Johnson is surf-pop's firm foundation, its beach-breaking wave, his buddy Donavon Frankenreiter is its riptide, heading out for enticing, unpredictable waters. Frankenreiter, a world-renowned surfer before going pro as a musician, cut his first album for Johnson's label, and the easy-rolling flow of "Free" finds Johnson and his pal both setting their sights on the open sea. Donavon reaches for some deep-down funk with the churning, Stevie Wonder-style bottom end cranking out the grooves on "Move By Yourself." But cover tunes have always been part of the surf king's M.O., too, and he takes a nice 'n' breezy acoustic stroll through Bob Dylan's classic kiss-off "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright."

In Next Steps, Donavon delivers onstage, giving his all for his audience.

If you think Donavon Frankenreiter's smooth-surfing mix of folk, pop, rock, and funk gets the good times going on record, wait until you hear him dig into it in front of an amped-up audience. You can feel the sunny vibes bouncing back and forth between the stage and the seats when he rolls into London's legendary Abbey Road studio for a live session — his R&B-powered push-and-pull on "Stay Young" gets the hooting, handclapping crowd downright giddy, and when he backs his windblown croon with sweet strings and heart-tugging piano on "Butterfly," well, the ladies in the room start getting all worked up. Of course, Donavon gets down and dirty in the studio, too — just check out the terrifically trashy guitar and funk-crunching keyboard riffs popping out of the party-starter "That's Too Bad."

Whether you're driving out to the beach for a rendezvous with a wave or you just wish you were, the sun-baked surf pop of Donavon Frankenreiter is as essential an accessory as high-grade sunblock. Hell, even if you don't know surfboards from shuffleboard, you still need to look the way of the bouncing, bluesy "What'cha Know About" and the Memphis soul-slathered "Your Heart" if you're looking to land your mood on the sunny side of the street. From the subtle, supple, straight-up sexy groove on "It Don't Matter" to the radical reinvention of CCR's classic-rock howler "Fortunate Son" as a swaying, soft-voiced folk ballad, we've gathered together all the crucial cuts from this lord of the board, so you can keep that summertime feeling inside all year round.