Who doesn't know Jack?
Theres not many of the new guitar breed whose songs will have you referencing The Bee Gees disco era or The Delfonics but Jack Penate probably isnt your ordinary gunslinger for hire.
The train track rhythm of opening song 'Spit At Stars' may sound too close to 'Jive Talking' for comfort but once the vocals kick in and the backing tracks tempo drops slightly, the song develops into a quirky poppy number that can't fail to put a smile on your face. Its energy virtually requires the word "spit" to be used in the title such is the energy and edge to the song.
'Didn't I' sounds like seventies soul at its finest, the high reaching vocals evoking one of the key tracks from Quentin Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown' and 'Didn't I Blow Your Mind(this time)' and its not a bad comparison to have. It's a relaxed soulful swagger, made for summer days and given the heat wave the country has been enjoying of late, the time might be right for slipping this track on and enjoying the open air.
Penate is at his best here when the tracks have some energy and he sounds like a man with something to prove. 'Cold Thin Line' is nervy and jumpy, its whirring line underneath the vocals adding the urgency to which Penate yelps over and for all that it seems on edge, it's a jerky little mover that again works well.
The slower moments are okay and break up the mood, which if it was a full album would have been welcome but on an ep, it would have been great to have found Penate just going for it full-pelt. That however is just personal opinion, many will like the quieter moments when the vocals attempt to show the true feelings of Penate but on the whole, it's a decent collection.
Theres a lot of talk about Jack at the moment and you can see why with this release.