Poor old Just Jack. Two years ago he was gamely poking fun at one hit wonders and reality TV shows with his tune ‘Starz In Their Eyes,’ and then he became a casualty of the same process himself. While Alanis Morrissette may have found that ironic, this writer feels that it was a shame, as it was clear that Jack Allsopp had the potential to be a great pop star. Still, the North London songwriter has dusted himself down and returned with a third album, All Night Cinema, that’s as far removed from his calling card as he can get.
Completely abandoning his brand of barrow boy rap in favour of singing, Just Jack’s new incarnation does away with the Mike Skinner-isms once and for all and his latest record is a bit of a mixed bag. ‘The Day I Died’ is a great single with a razor sharp hook and frankly ghoulish (yet oddly reassuring) lyrics. The string-laden ‘Embers’ is full of melodrama, ‘Doctor Doctor’ is a future hit single in the making and the title-track is a sprawling, musically complex tune that proves he’s more than just a Streets knock off. Just Jack still hasn’t quite made his masterpiece yet, however, as ‘Goth In The Disco’ and ‘Lo And Behold’ are cringe-worthy at best. While All Night Cinema is fun to listen to now, whether we’ll be putting it on our stereo in a year’s time is a different matter.