Just Jack - The Outer Marker

The words “Just Jack” bring to mind the flamboyant one man show of the lovable Jack on “Will & Grace;” a show of one man drawing from all sorts of songs and dances to express his own unique self. While far from being the character on the show, rapper/singer/writer Just Jack similarly draws on a wide variety of influences to construct his full length debut. Don’t be hesitant at the thought of another white boy MC because this is no novelty; it is a solid album. The Outer Marker is a recipe of equal parts rap, R&B, dance hall, pop and even a little folk and storyteller. The problem with most diverse albums is that it is hard to draw from a lot of sources without drawing too heavily from one or watering it down by drawing from too many. Balancing them all so deliciously is what makes this album a success. From the opener, “Let’s Get Really Honest,” the album jumps into it’s lyrical coming of age story in “Lesson One,” touching on issues of everyday life with an honesty and sincerity not seen often enough. The lead off single “Snowflakes” serves to provide three tracks on the album, as the original version is accompanied by two different mixes tacked onto the end of the album. Succeeding where most remixes fall flat by just basically introducing a new beat track, these two shine by really restructuring the feel of the song into something entirely new. The middle of the album continues its beautiful flow straight into the album highlight, “Snapshot Memories.” The track is split into five parts separated with the sound of a camera shutter: Opening with a piano beat lead rap, fading into an 80’s synthesizer under a robot voiced rap, a slowed down rap, an almost Linkin Park-like guitar/beat combo under rhythmic flow, back into the piano beat. “Triple Tone Eyes” feels like an R&B soul singer verse backed by a techno-rave chorus beat, and the album ending “Ain’t Too Sad” draws on acoustic guitar to wrap up the package neatly. A more than stellar effort from a bright new artist, few modern artists have constructed such a varied album so successfully. The boys across the pond have long stood tall in their rock music credentials, but artists like Just Jack serve warning that no genre of music is safe from a British invasion. A great piece of work from what looks to be an artist to keep an eye on for a while. [www.justjackmusic.com]