Just Jack, "Overtones"

British press gets starry-eyed over another genre-hopping storyteller

By Kirk Miller, Metromix

September 3, 2007

Critic's Rating:
3

Just Jack, "Overtones"
Overtones
Release date:
September 4, 2007
Artist/Band name:
Just Jack
Record label:
TVT Records
Official Web Site:
http://www.justjackmusic.com/
Overall User Rating:
0 (0 ratings)
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Backstory: Londoner and wannabe furniture designer Jack Allsopp starts chopping up and remixing beats in his bedroom—a few years and one indie release later, the U.K. hype machine has declared his alter-ego, Just Jack, the new face of Brit-pop.

Why you should care: As Lily Allen and the Streets have proved, the Brits have a way of criss-crossing music genres and cultivating a real storytelling element in their music. Just Jack is no different—“Overtones” shifts from sci-fi vocals and retro beats ("Disco Friends") to Oakenfold-style dance anthems ("Starz in Their Eyes") quite effortlessly, with psychedelia, hip-hop and electro-pop zipping in and out along the way.

Verdict: If Allsopp's tales of late night parties and morning-after regrets don't quite register like his more established U.K. peers (Allen, Mike Skinner, etc.), he at least provides an eclectic, upbeat and likeable soundtrack to his life.

X-Factor: In the "thanks for the kind words…I think" category, Just Jack got some of his buzz after Elton John endorsed him at a British music awards show.