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In Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity,” record storeowner Rob Fleming prides himself on his mastery of the intricacies and seduction that go into creating the perfect mix.
A mix that starts off hot but cools down by the third track can keep your attention as it builds back up, and it must flutter between genre and intensity before the final finish.
Musicians can spend weeks trying to form the perfect track list for an album. I imagine Jack White takes a few years to create his albums. His sophomore solo album “Lazaretto” released at #1 on Billboard 200 in June.
Just two years ago, Jack White debuted at #1 as a solo artist with “Blunderbuss” after years of playing in The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather. “Blunderbuss” showed amazing promise with crowd pleasers like ‘Sixteen Saltines,’ ‘Love Interruption’ and ‘I’m Shaking.’ The album wove in and out of blues, country and rock while still holding that classic Jack White charm. “Lazaretto” is the very same way.
The first track, ‘Three Women,’ begins with instrumentals until White starts belting blues lyrics. The drums combine blues and funk to mask Jack’s blues opening and wailing guitar solos to prepare for the single ‘Lazaretto.’
The title track begins with a bass riff that is repeated throughout the song. Funky drums come in, and it almost sounds like ‘I’m Shaking’ from his debut. Although every song does not have a solo, the tracks that do will blow your mind. White seems to pay homage to his first band, The White Stripes, with his solo in the title track. It goes back to his classic style of high-pitched, industrial yet spastic style.
After the title track, White slows down to play a classic country song with ‘Temporary Ground.’ He then builds back before playing ‘High ball Stepper,’ the rock song featured on many FIFA World Cup promotions this summer.
Through expert musicianship, Jack White was able to create the best album of the summer for the second time in his career as a solo artist. There is no such thing as perfection, but it nearly makes the cut. The album uses many backup musicians and vocalists. Violins and harps compliment the classic bass-drums-guitar setup while a little acoustic guitar and piano show up in many of the songs as well.
White shows bits and pieces of each of his projects in “Lazaretto.” Some songs show the raw power and psychosis in his guitar solos that match The Dead Weather’s or The White Stripes’ earlier albums. Meanwhile, other songs like ‘Alone In My Home’ and ‘Entitlement’ sound like they were recorded for The White Stripes’ “Get Behind Me Satan” record.
White’s musicianship and charm draw us in to hear his brutally honest lyrics. He talks about inadequacy and heartbreak yet still pushes us to a higher standard as listeners. It is uncommon for an artist to make two albums in a row that go #1, but Jack White is one of a kind, and I can’t wait to see what else he has planned.