Just Jack: Kylie's New BFF

September 06, 2007

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Just Jack's "Overtones" is by far one of the most noteworthy new records of the year. Jack is a London-based MC who mixes his distinct talk-sung vocals with shimmering pop, disco, soul and funk. The CD is the follow up to his indie debut “The Outer Marker” that was released in 2003.

None other than Kylie Minogue duets with Jack on "I Talk Too Much," a collaboration exclusively cut for the U.S. release of "Overtones."

First off, I have to ask you about Kylie Minogue. How did your duet with Kylie on the U.S. release of “Overtones” come about?
We wanted to have a track on the U.S. release of the album that wasn't on the U.K. release of the album. We knew that Kylie was a fan of the record and really liked the music. Somebody at the record label got in touch with her manager and asked if she was interested in doing some sort of collaboration And she was really into "I Talk Too Much," the track that she sang on. She just wanted to add some lyrics to it so we spoke on the phone a couple of times and talked about what she might want to do. Then we got together in the studio and she put down her vocals and it was all very sort of calm, relaxed and natural, and I'm very happy with the result.

How does “Overtones” compare to your debut?
I wanted it to be a little bit more electronic. I wanted there to be more organic elements than on the first album, as in live drums and live instruments. Generally, I wanted it to have more energy and be little bit more upbeat. I wanted it to be Saturday night sounding rather than Sunday morning sounding if you know what I mean. The first one was more laid-back (. . .), the second one is a little more upbeat and energetic I think.

Your first label folded and left you without a recording contact for a while. How did you experience that?
I wasn't that unhappy. I just was a little bit confused about what to do. Having said that, because the way that I got signed for the first record was so unexpected, [I didn’t have many expectations]. I saw myself just as this little bedroom producer (. . .) and I didn’t ever really think about actually putting a record out and having to promote it and having people writing reviews. When the label disappeared and it fell apart, it all didn't feel so bad (. . .) And I kinda knew that I had some improving to do anyway. So I went away and got on with that."

You seem to emphasize melody and lyrics as much as the beats on your music.
The beats are definitely secondary. I want to get to the point where the beats are as strong as the lyrics and the songs. I hope with the next album, I kind of have the full picture. I want to have it all really. I don’t rely on beats. There are too many hip hop things at the moment, especially in the more chart and more pop area of hip hop, where it is all about the producers and the beats. Whatever comes on top of it is obsolete almost. People are just listening to the track for the beats."

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