Wow~
Well I have to say, it’s taken me a few days to process the
events of the past week or so. If you didn’t
already know, I was fortunate to be 1 of 20 lucky Vault Platinum members chosen
to attend Jack White’s ‘Blunderbuss’ Listening Party at Third Man Records last
Tuesday, February 21st. As
someone who has listened to Jack White in all forms for over the past decade,
this was obviously an amazing opportunity for me. Though Jack’s lack of attendance at his own album's party did not go unnoticed,
the event itself was one as yet unrivaled in the music industry and much
appreciated by those of us who were invited.
By now the artwork is up & the track listings are
out; fan reviews have been posted by some of the lucky invitees; most notably in
fan forum White Swirl. If you care enough
to follow this stuff at all, you may already know of a few things to expect from ‘Blunderbuss’, set to debut publicly April 23rd-
a plethora of piano, some quirky Jack-White-variety lyrics we all love so much, a wide
range of sounds & styles. And most
importantly, for all you Jack White fans out there, guitar. Jack himself has defended the amount of
guitar on the album, saying, 'there's more guitar solos by me on this record than any I've made since 'Icky Thump''. While I can’t say I noticed that so much the first time around, I can certainly vouch for the
guitar and its welcome appearance on this, his solo endeavor.
So… what else could I possibly have to add now, almost a week
later, about ‘Blunderbuss’? Well, to the folks out there still speculating what
‘Blunderbuss’ has in store, I guess I would just like to say this:
It’s Jack White.
It’s Jack Fucking White.
The same boy we’ve always known, just a bit
more grown up. While I cannot really
compare this album to any of his other musical forays, it initially struck
me, sound-wise, as being more Raconteurs-oriented. Although there is certainly a nod to his
heritage in The White Stripes and, more recently, The Dead Weather, this album will most assuredly be chalked up to being exclusively Jack White, solo
artist. Angrier? More understanding of the world & the way
things work? More resigned? With only one listen under my belt, I’m not
sure. He’s an almost twice-divorced
parent now. The White Stripes have officially dissolved. He’s been through a lot since
the debut of the their self titled album, and it shows.
The Jack on this album wants to show us what he’s learned,
the extent of how far he can go. The
Detroit-rocker turned Nashville-mogul seems to have been softened a bit by his time in the south, but
the hard edge that drove the White Stripes is still there. To me, ‘Blunderbuss’ is a more ‘produced’
Jack White sound. Not to say that he’s
manufactured something by any means, it’s just a more polished, practiced
sound. Knowing that Jack likes to record
things as they happen, to get the ‘rawness’ of a sound, a song, a band, I have
to say that if these were first studio take recordings, my hat is off to
him.
Hearing this gem, the initial stand-outs to me were ‘Sixteen
Saltines’, ‘Trash Tongue Talker’, ‘Take Me With You When You Go’ and, of
course, ‘Love Interruption’. Upon first
listen I did not care for ‘Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy’, but the earworm has made
it into my brain where it has resided happily for at least the past 24 hrs, so
what does that tell you? Putting giddy-school-girl
feelings aside, my first impression of this album was the prominence of
piano. Melodious, practiced piano. But the guitar is there, and when it makes
its appearance, you’ll remember why you fell in love with Jack White in the
first place. There was most certainly a
McCartney-esque vibe on a few of the tracks.
I would say ‘Blunderbuss’ is a little bit country, a little bit
rock-n-roll, with some rag-time & blues thrown in for good measure. And with lines such as “I’ve got no truck
with you woman”, it’s totally Jack White.
So if you’re hoping for another White Stripes album, sorry
but this isn’t it. Did you really think
Jack would venture down that road again right now? Wishful thinking…
But if it’s Jack White you’re looking for, you’ll find him,
or pieces of him, buried in these 13 tracks.
