Common Jack releases a new single today, called “Restless.” Common Jack is the musical project of Jack Gardner, who played a primary role and seven instruments in the Broadway show Once, along with functioning as the show’s “on-site music director.” Even though touring the world with Once, Gardner was writing his own music. He put together a band composed of cast members from Once, calling it Common Jack.
In 2015, Common Jack dropped a debut album, called Bowl, Holland, which was followed a year later by another album, Strange New State, produced by Harper James of EIGHTY-NINETY. Strange New State struck a chord with listeners in the U.S. and Europe, achieving great success.
Stylistically, Common Jack is best described as Americana, amalgamating pop and rock elements into the Americana matrix to create an innovative, contemporary brand of music still reflecting Americana influences.
“Restless” begins with a brightly thrumming guitar and a solid groove. The melody emanates a folk pop essence, along with the dynamic flow inherent in rock. The upbeat tempo exudes glistening harmonics provided by layered guitar accents that intersect as the tune proceeds. As the melody intensifies a delightful fiddle adds a novel briskness and residual energy. The steady thump of the bass drum provides rhythmic direction and impetus. And the twinkling ringing accents infuse the tune with shimmering sonic hues hovering on transience but spilling over into hooks of delicious permanence.
Gardner’s dulcet tenor reminds me of Billy Joel, delivering a singularly impressive range and oodles of hormonal exuberance. His vocal range extends from a subdued veneer of energetic declaration to a ramped up cogent assertion of focused vocal intensity.
The lyrics append delightful musings, explanations and rationales for the restlessness plaguing the vocalist, infusing the music with an image of predictability giving way to charming randomness.
“Please excuse my style today / It’s not that I don’t care / It’s just a phase / The restless dog is at my heels / Nipping, biting no matter how I pray / The more I try to use my eyes / The more I see the pictures start to fray / The moon becomes the sun becomes the moon again / The pendulum will sway / Swaying, swaying, swaying / Swaying so hard / It hits, hits, hits / It hits so hard.” And then the chorus: “Tell me something I don’t know / Before I get dumber / Show me something new / ‘Cuz I’m already kinda’ bored / Yeah, maybe I saw your fire / But can you really blame me / What’s the good of fire / If you’re just gonna’ sit and stare / Just don’t sit and stare.”
Common Jack has it going on in great big bunches! The melody streams with an infectious relish of scrumptious flavors, while Gardner’s pleasing voice, full of muscular sonority, emanates a sparkling resonance, as if he can no longer restrain his inner impatience. “Restless” is a superb song. You certainly don’t want to miss this one.