Jack White's the name. Music is the game. Ladies and gentleman, he can play the game all right -- and let's just say he wins every time.
From the beginning, he stunned audiences with his leadership in The White Stripes, his experimental style in The Raconteurs, his rugged musical genius with The Dead Weather and now with his exploration into the world of solo work.
There isn't a soul who is actively engaged in the musical world and unfamiliar with White's masterpiece "Seven Nation Army," released back in 2003 when he was still with The White Stripes playing alongside his ex-wife Meg White. He went on to join The Raconteurs and "wow" audiences in 2008 with his hit single "Salute Your Solution." But he didn't stop there; he brought his brilliance to The Dead Weather, a band that formed accidentally, yet went on to perform before the release of its first single and book its first tour before the release of its first album. Not to mention his venture and creation of the hit single "Another Way To Die," which he performed alongside the breathtaking voice of Alicia Keys in 2008 for the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. The union of Keys's soul-filled vocals and White's whammy-filled guitar truly mixes into an energetic and prototypical piece of grandeur. And do people expect this from White's image? Although some people perceive him as this dark and Goth-like artist, he is in fact so much more than that. He is the definition of musical ambidexterity.
His new album, Blunderbuss, has successfully grasped the same wide span of aesthetically pleasing musical styles that hasn't been done since his last legend of an album, Elephant, when he was still exploiting his charisma with The White Stripes. This album tells the story of the heart-wrenching hell we all know as love. In the hit track "Love Interruption," White sings, "I want love to roll me over slowly/ Stick a knife inside me/ And twist it all around." The song combines a bluesy-acoustic sound with White's agony-filled voice that makes the listener close their eyes and pensively nod their head as if agreeing to the lyrics. The whole album is made up mostly of White's and female vocals; the female vocals in the background emphasize the poetic emotions that White most likely envisioned reaching male and female audiences. Another hit track, "Freedom at 21," brings his audience back to White's Raconteur days. His high-pitched voice mixed with his spunky drum styling induces angst-filled sentiments that bring even the most mature of adults back to a teenage state.
At the age of 36, Jack White has achieved the right to call himself a musical genius. Keep reviving the animalistic sensations inside us, Jack, and continue to remind us why we're all alive.
Fishbone
Gogol Bordello
Bad Brains
Dub Trio
Beastie Boys
With the exception of the Beasties, who lost a founding member just a week ago, all of the above players are on tour currently or have been this year. They collectively mix punk, funk, hardcore, metal, reggae, rap and dub.
The author called SEVEN NATION ARMY a masterpiece. It practically begged for a response.