Musings of 'Blunderbuss'~

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 21^st.  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.