JUST JACK - THE OUTER MARKER

When The Streets (a.k.a., Mike Skinner) came out last year, non-Yankee wankers everywhere rejoiced at the sheer novelty of a British MC speaking in his native vernacular. And why not, you know? It’s about time people realized you don’t have to mimic American lingo to be cool. Look at Joe Cocker.
But The Streets' success also meant that every non-Yankee writer everywhere would forever hold Mike Skinner as the premiere example, and all who followed in similar footsteps would suffer an inevitable comparison. So let’s get that out of the way: Just Jack reminds me a lot of The Streets because it is funky and British. But that’s where it stops.
Just Jack’s The Outer Marker is way more mellow than The Streets could ever be, sober or blunted. It’s not sleepy slow. More like trip-hop slow.
The music is radio-ready and catchy, keeping your head nodding for the disc’s duration. At times, it reminds me of old Brand New Heavies. Lyrically, Just Jack is straightforward storytelling, mixing speaking with singing, making an already mellow experience even more so.
Though it may not rip you out of your seat and pound you with a disco-funk intensity, The Outer Marker is a good, chill record to erase all your worries for you. It’s out March 2 on TVT Records.
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