The White Stripes’ charismatic frontman Jack White is considered to be the modern representative of the Blues Rock / Experimental genre which Led Zeppelin once pioneered. This is evident from the 2009 DVD “It Might Get Loud” which Jack stars on with iconic guitarists JimmyPage and The Edge as they talk guitars, musical creativity and personal experiences.
Released on April 23rd 2012, “Blunderbuss” is Jack’s debut solo album, one which he solely composed, recorded and produced. The album peaked at #1 in both the UK Album Chart (beating Adel’s “21”) and the US Billboard 200, a spot which he never reached with any of his other bands, including White Stripes with its close #2 spot with 2007’s “Icky Thump“.
Since its release, the album collected a huge 2,484,941 plays on last.fm with 104,615 listeners, and received glowing reviews from international media (4.5/5 from Rolling Stone and 5/5 from The Guardian). Its general style is rooted in Blues Rock, with Jack’s catchy songwriting, guitar skills and vocals.
So how is this any different from The White Stripes? Well there’s definitely more piano / keys, a bigger emphasis on the Blues chillout moods and less on the “Punk Rock” song structures (Imagine John Lennon’s “Imagine” album and you’ll get the drift – Blunderbuss is one powerful and passionate release). In simpler terms, it’s more suited for an early Sunday morning listening session rather than a Saturday night Rock party. Here’s the video of the album’s first single “Love Interruption“:
The influences here are bright as day; Led Zeppelin’s experimental side, The Doors’s Bluesy core and John Lennon’s passion. A true testament to Jack’s talent as a composer and performer, as he unmistakably pays tribute to his influences while creating his own unique musical identity.
Now here are my recommended songs from “Blunderbuss”:
– Fans Of The White Stripes: check out “Sixteen Saltines” and “Freedom at 21“.
“Blunderbuss” is an album you shouldn’t miss out on, it features the best influences from several iconic Rock artists alongwith Jack White’s personal touch (with more instrumentation than he usually goes for). Heck, it even beat the world’s most popular Pop artist Adele in the charts!
