Overtones

British MCs are growing famous

It seems like British scene sees its chief task for 2007 in overtaking the popularity of American rappers by strength of its own MC’s if not all over the globe then at least on it’s inner market. Just Jack with his new album Overtones and punky rascal Jamie T occupy the top of UK charts living their overseas rivals far behind. And though these performers would hardly ever fit the category of rappers in the American sense of the word, the term MC stands as the best one to describe their musical practice. The product they produce embraces a diverse musical vast and their performing manner balances somewhere between singing and rapping. A name Just Jack may sound new for many music lovers, he appeared before the audience before the end of the last year and since that time constantly presents sometimes in editions, sometimes in TV shows, gives concerts and moves up to the chart’s top lines. But it is worth mentioning that Overtones is not his first attempt to achieve success, he has released his debut album The Outer Marker as far back as 2002, but regardless positive responses it failed to become a sales hit. And now having his forces accumulated Just Jack, or Jack Allsopp, as he's otherwise known, is fiercely attacking the music market with his new pop-funk-hip-hop album.

Overtones is for the first place chill out

The album’s face and its main track is undoubtedly Starz In Their Eyes. This an example of positive funky pop composition that being enormously friendly and soft manages not to fall into a sugary sweetness of pop music. The recipe is quite simple: cheerful claps of disco beat, unpretending party of funky guitar and catchy chorus. These elements are somehow characteristic for the entire album. The first song Writer’s Block is having what can be called a double nature: the song’s light atmosphere is recharging from disco energy of the background. If the song was having a different type of arrangement the force of its dance beat would make a pretty energetic composition out of it as the drums are really pushing, but synths and relaxed Jack’s voice add some necessary details that create a chill out atmosphere. This mood achieves its climax on smoked with puffs of cannabis Disco Friends which could be called a ballad but as it has nothing in common with rock music let it be just a very slow example of Just Jack’s talent. But still the album contains a track that fits a term ballad of course in a peculiar meaning. Hold On is another variant of relaxing song, which in this case was recorded with acoustic guitars.

Just Jack likes to be positive

It is hard to say that Just Jack’s successful break through is connected with radical changes within his music. Overtones is based on the same influences just like his debut album. Probably the secret of it’s popularity consists in the formation of his own distinctive handwriting. Regardless frequent comparisons (that are justified in a way) with another well known British MC Mike Skinner Jack Alsop still differs from both, Skinner and the entire decadence family of big city talky-singers. While most of them are busy with house and garage projects Jack is looking in the direction of more variable music trying to represent urban atmosphere in the positive light. Overtones is a great album for the second effort, Jack reaches the boarders of pop music but manages to keep a cold and true to life atmosphere which is so characteristic for British performers. A tendency of hip-hop scene developing is quite ambiguous, but if Britain is really going to achieve superiority in this field than Just Jack’s Overtones may become one of the first bricks to lay the foundation for this direction.