12 tracks · 58 min
Four-plus years passed between Just Jack's debut, The Outer Marker, and his sophomore effort, Overtones. That's plenty of time for an U.K. garage rapper to fall out of favor -- especially when the Streets are burning up most folks' patience for the genre like it was flash paper -- and to make matter worse, Just Jack (real name Jack Allsopp) had to crawl over a heaping pile of criticism that his rhymes were whack after he climbed out of his four-year hole. Shocking everyone, this "slackadaisical" wonder overcame it all and was climbing charts and selling out shows as soon as Overtones was released in the U.K., thanks in part to Jack's being a friend of the oh-so-hot-in-2006 Lily Allen along with the hooks, the effortless delivery, and a general need for something softer and more hopeful than garage and grime normally offer. While Overtones is filled with moon-June-spoon-prune rhyme schemes and meaningless bits of slang, it all sits on a bed of instantly grabbing melody and smart arrangements. His lyrics aren't as bad as you've been sold, but his slumped shoulder delivery and the "I wore this same hoodie yesterday" way about him do make him a love-'em-or-hate-'em proposition. Those w…
