Review: Jack White – Blunderbuss
Release Date: 24th April 2012
Producer: Jack White
Label: Third Man
Jack White has hit the target with his debut solo album: Blunderbuss. The male half of the recently-defunct White Stripes has shot out a record that brings together ammunition of all his previous projects contained in one round. White has produced an album that meshes a host of sounds and genres that is easily one of the best alternative albums this year.
The iconic and instantly recognisable voice of White is the perfect ally to the range of guitar, keyboard, piano sounds that invade your ears.
Missing Pieces is a terrific opening track that goads you into wanting more. The contrasting sounds of Doors-esque keyboards coupled with the occasional Stripes-esque riffs leave you parched for the rest of the album.
The guitar is well and truly showcased in Sixteen Saltines as White amps up the distortion in unleashes a loud, brash rock anthem that has Zane Lowe’s seal of approval stamped all over it.
The toe-tapping I’m Shakin’ is a simplistic riff-repeating track that strips the album’s sound down to its very barebones in comparison to the rest of White’s complex instrument laden tracks.
There’s a huge emphasis on the piano with this album and Blunderbuss, Take Me With You With You When You Go, His (Eponymous) Poor Boy, Tongue Trash Talker and Weep Hypocritical Kiss are fully focussed on the ivories and White tinkles them meticulously.
Love Interruption combines the acoustic sounds, the calming flute and the most memorable lyrics of the album: ‘I won’t let love disrupt, erupt or interupt me’. It’s one of the strongest tracks on an album that is one of the strongest of the year.
While it’s easy to draw comparisons with his previous projects on certain tracks, overall Blunderbuss is a completely different arsenal to anything Jack White has utilised with the White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.
Nice review of a great album! Here’s mine-
http://mattneric.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/jack-white-blunderbuss/
It’s funny, because the preview shot of this post cuts off your rating at 2 1/2 stars, so I was curious to see why you rated it so low… but it’s 5 after all