Album Review: Jack White Blunderbuss

At this stage of the game, everyone has an idea of who Jack White is – from The White Stripes who were the foundation, a stripped-back rock two piece that would occasionally slow down for a blues cover, to The Raconteurs/Saboteurs with their catchy pop-hooks, to The Dead Weather, who were just clever. Now, completely beholden to no one but himself, what would happen?

The interesting part is that White has carried his collaboration ethos with him for his first 'solo' outing, dragging anyone that tweaked his ear into the studio to add their touch, resulting in a full sound with a warm back end. A rock shuffle with a lyrical drive leads us into the album, talking about fraught love, getting love back, and needing no love at all. Although Jack White is back on guitar with the distortion peddle engaged, I would dare to say the lead instrument in this album is the piano, which is no bad thing. After a rough transition in the middle of the track list, which felt in imminent danger of becoming a mimicry of the beginning of the album, the keys and acoustic guitar come to the fore and his voice slows, seeing White strip everything back to embrace a more traditional blues-band feeling from the '50s.

While White is exploring and having fun on this album, he isn't breaking any new ground, so the formula for this recommendation becomes simple. To people who are already fans, you'll love this. For the disbelievers, you'll remain un-phased. And for newcomers, this would be the perfect introduction to the sound and style of a contemporary icon.