by Sterling McGarvey

Like Junior Jack's production work, the album cover for Trust It isn't for the faint of heart. It is accurate of the sonic experience, though. The full-length artist album carries an addictive quality to it. Responsible for some of the biggest room tracks on this side of the galaxy, Junior Jack has finally compiled an artist album that lives up to the strength of such floor scorchers as "Thrill Me" and "E-Samba." I don't know if there will be room for the deep, "I can dance all night without breaking a sweat" house heads, but for the rest of us, this is the unabashed, big room, pump-your-fist, jump-up-and-down album of the year.

Whether it's a passive-aggressive swipe at Daft Punk aside, "Da Hype" brilliantly captures the current big room trend of the early-to-mid 00s: filtered synth rock breakdowns leading into ginormous (yes, ginormous) beat drops. Whether you enjoy the closing vocal retread with Robert Smith of the Cure is a matter of opinion. "Stupidisco" is already a Summer anthem. With its Pointer Sisters-esque sample and tribal percussion, it's got appeal that crosses a lot of club demographics. Among the lesser-known tracks, "The Roots" takes on a retro house feel with a Latin twist. The soulful, melancholy keys of "Alone" sound straight out of Chicago's southside. One could easily mistake the shuffling "Hola" for a Jazzanova track. "Luv 2 U" gives Roberta Flack's "I Feel Like Making Love" the chipmunk vocal treatment. The album takes a darker turn as it winds down. "Depression" is dark, acidic, synthy, and would sound at home in a Danny Howells set.

So, is Trust It worth your dough? Damn right. Overall, the album is rock solid; it's one of the best albums of 2004, hands down.

Trust It
by Junior Jack
Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Trust It
3. Hype
4. Stupidisco
5. F*** the System
6. Roots
7. Alone
8. Hola
9. E Samba
10. Luv 2 U
11. Thrill Me
12. Depression
13. Do It
14. Must Be the Darkness
15. Hype [Vocal Single Version]