Flying Solo, but Soaring High

Jack White is the closest thing to rock royalty in the world today. With an illustrious record of performing with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and his growing catalog of solo work, it is becoming incredibly apparent that White is looking to carve out a name for himself in the rock ‘n’ roll canon.

With the release of his new solo album “Lazaretto,” it’s no surprise that while some may tire of his sound after a near 15-year career, he still manages to craft one of the freshest sounds to grace the modern rock charts in recent memory.

“Lazaretto” seems to know that the songs on the radio all too often blend seamlessly into each other, and does its best to fight this trend of mediocrity. Sparse and ambient sounds, which seem to be dominant in rock music today, are countered by White’s soulful, bluesy and most of all, gutsy performances that push the boundaries of what one could call blues rock.

From the soulful backup vocals in “I’m Shakin’,” to the experiments in distortion and rhythm that dominate on “High Ball Stepper,” this album leaves you in a whirlwind of sound with tons of influences and directions pulling the listener in every which way. It’s a well-needed wake up call to the monotony of radio friendly rock.

Jack White’s real talent, though, isn’t in redefining genres or anything like that; his real talent, as evidenced by “Lazaretto,” is the amazing precision with which he can craft a mood. White proves to be a craftsman of sound, using every tool he can think of to engage the audience well. Whether he ends up sounding like Nine Inch Nails, or The Rolling Stones, he always approaches it in a unique fashion that simply screams of his own distinct style.

If you’re a fan of rock music, “Lazaretto” is without a doubt, a must-listen. Though it may not be White’s finest work, it shows an evolution in progress. It shows that Jack White wasn’t consumed by his fame at the beginning of the 2000s, when he produced his greatest and most popular work. It is clear now that White has no intention of simply being an early 2000s garage rocker – he intends to grow and shift as an artist.

Luckily for his audience, White’s experimentation and penchant for mixing and melding his influences is always a whole lot of fun to listen to, so it’s easily one of his most interesting releases.