JACK - LAST PHONE CALL
Annsley “AJ” Jennings - @annsleymedia
If you read the title of this review then you already know what’s up: JACK has at last released a new song.
I’ve been waiting over a year for this particular song to drop ever since I saw him open for The Blue Stones at Houston’s House of Blues last June and now I am elated to review it since it is finally on streaming platforms.
JACK, funnily enough, is the moniker that singer/songwriter Jack Osborn uses for his music. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the young (24 years old as of publishing) musician has been on the up and up over the last year due to his position as an opening act for The Blue Stones on their 2023 US Tour, Des Rocs in Nebraska, and for the release of his debut album: Sad Songs in C Major. Now that he’s climbing the ladder with his art, he’s released Last Phone Call.
Last Phone Call - A Review
The song itself has amazing vocals and instrumentals but I believe the star of it all is the lyrics. JACK notoriously has been a fantastic songwriter and his ability to make a song feel so upbeat despite its gut-wrenching lyrics is a talent within itself.
Based on my interpretation, I believe that Last Phone Call revolves around the idea of looking back on an old friend/relationship that might not have ended so well whether it finished up with radio silence or unresolved matters. I’d even go as far to say it could involve abandonment in that regard; the proposition of talking on the phone for the final time (unknowingly) with someone only to come up lonely with unanswered questions. It symbolizes that and the pain of being replaced in some sense, whether it’s by another person or something darker. I could even presume that this song is perhaps a look back at a friend that has since passed on, leaving things unsettled.
Some lyrics that allude to this include “Our last phone call. You pushed me off the phone, I asked you for a story but you’re too busy at the moment”, “The time so dear and precious to me. This you do not see. You’re so silent to me. My phone may as well have never rang”, and “You replaced me in the coming months with sobs and praying stories. It feels so wrong but so right the way that day was in my mind”.
I took this song as a bittersweet reminder of how precious people and life are; that getting upset over little things doesn’t matter all that much in retrospect. It was also a pleasant token to listeners to check on your friends and loved ones; any moment can be someone’s last and things can go south in the blink of an eye.
To say that I love this song would be an understatement; it really hits home for me, as do most of JACK’s songs. If you aren’t hopping on the JACK train then what the fuck are you doing? I’ve reiterated this time and time again: GO LISTEN!
After the release of Last Phone Call, JACK has two shows in Denver at the Mercury Cafe and in Salt Lake City at The Beehive with supporting acts Eyes Buggy and If and When. After these shows, fans are hoping for more music or perhaps even a bigger tour of sorts. Nonetheless, I cannot wait to continue to see the growth and development of JACK.
