Overtones

Just Jack

Just Jack: Part 1 begins in 2002, with a young Londoner feeding
sounds between two tape decks in a bedroom to produce a much-loved
album and a savvy little touring operation. It ends shortly after
with the tiny record label that unearthed his talent going bust.

Every cloud has a silver lining? Possibly. Just Jack: Part 2 begins in 2005, a
little more auspiciously, with him signing on Mercury Record's dotted line (in the UK).

Neither bound by musical restrictions nor the notional idea of cool,
Just Jack has taken the sum of his individual influences and turned them
into a unique, genre-hopping, jump-up album - the smash-hit, hook laden,
space-disco odyssey "Overtones."
He's steadily collated his teen experiences and set them against his
lyrical ear for the specific experiences of his unsung generation. You
know the guy that weathered acid house and came out the other
end beaming, fully realising that parties might not necessarily be the
answer, but had a whole lot of fun finding that out? That's Jack Allsopp.

"Overtones" is a joyous, zeitgeist-leaning slice of intuitive songwriting.
While it fits into the new school of British storytelling, it isn't ashamed
to wear its party heart on its sleeve. Just Jack isn't angsty or self-regarding.
He knows that a delicious, sly groove is the best way to
access the soul.

You know the guy that tells you a funny,
idiosyncratic story, slightly off his head in a small, sweaty, darkened
room at 2am with a mirror ball twirling in the background? That's
Jack Allsopp as well. He s a born communicator.
Just Jack's music is the conduit to his laconic life philosophies. Jack's
experience of the night-time began at a time when house DJs would
be unafraid to throw in a bit of hip-hop or pop if the mood felt right.
As he points out with his trademark disregard for bandwagon
jumping, when an era throws up something as thoroughly groovy as
The Jungle Brother's "I'll House You" and Carly Simon's "Why" to Joey
Beltram's "Energy Flash", why not celebrate the diversity of it?

Not that Jack is in thrall to retro sounds. His music is something that
hasn't been heard before. Whether it be on the balls-out house
shimmy of his UK smash "Starz In Their Eyes" - Jack's questioning ode to the Heat
generation - or the muted, pulsing melodies of "Disco Friends" (who
hasn't got one of those?) he's armed with a backpack full of
anthems in the waiting.
Just check out the second UK single, "Glory Days," a prime glimpse
into the laid-back flare of the world of Just Jack.

A North London boy by birth and now choice, Jack was going to be
a furniture designer but having completed a degree, realised that
his designs should be moving rather than static. His five-year
apprenticeship as a bedroom dabbler chopping up obscure
records, led to a debut album, "The Outer Marker" receiving a
rapturous reception from press and fans alike.

Just Jack isn t hip-hop, he
isn't house and he isn't lush singer-songwriting. He's a bit of all of them.
Is it wrong to call what I do interesting pop music? he says, still
delightfully unsure as to where his unique take on the adolescent
experience might fit in. Nope, Jack. It sounds Just about right.

Boasting 12 tracks that bristle with shimmering melodies, "Overtones"
is Jack s most definitive work to date and has fast become one of
the must-have albums of the moment.

Overtones Album: