Just Jack - Overtones

I’m sure North Londoner Jack Allsopp will be banking on ‘Overtones’ proving that he is more than just a one trick pony. It’s just at times, you can’t help but feel that he is walking down an already well trodden path, that‘s been walked on by an awful lot of acts before him. Like the long lost son of Tricky but taking a leaf out of a variety of vocal books, most obviously The Streets but even at times, Ian Browns,  over an eclectic mix of trip hop, electro, pop, acid jazz and a variety of lilting strings.  There’s no denying the strength of most of his lyrics, even on single ‘Starz in Their Eyes’, all the more poignant when you see the most recent career smashing of reality show made celebrities. It’s just unfortunate that over 12 songs, it just smacks a little of ’more of the same’. Some tracks do stand out above the others, namely for me ‘Writers Block’ and even ‘I Talk Too Much’, if not just for it’s slight break in tempo and style to the others. I’m sure it will appeal as chart fodder, as a replacement for those who desperately need someone to don Mike Skinners crown. It’s just not quite enough to rise it above a sea of similar other acts at the moment, staccato rapping or singing about their 80’s childhood, drugs and life being a struggle. Even though this is his second album (and arguably he may well have had his finger on the pulse of this genre well before some others did) the question has to be, do we really need it?