With one foot in British garage and the other in soulful pop, it's easy to refer to
Just Jack as
the Streets lite or an inventive
Robbie Williams. The fact is, however, that
Just Jack crosses the lines of both spheres with ease while dabbling in several other genres as well. He begins
The Outer Marker with the smooth "Let's Get Really Honest" and "Paradise (Lost & Found)," but quickly shifts the mood with "Lesson One," a replica of
the Streets that even mentions that "it's hard sometimes trying to be a geezer." "Snowflakes" brings
Just Jack's brooding side up a notch with the whispering, nearly haunting lyrics "Sometimes it feels like I'm looking through a pane of glass/I can see your mouth move but can't hear the words." He's not as successful with the funk on "Contradictions" or the electro-inspired "Snapshot Memories," but
The Outer Marker is still an ambitious debut. ~ Kenyon Hopkin