What We’re Listening To – “Lazaretto” by Jack White

Jack White has only himself to blame. I thought admitting I’ve got mixed feelings about Jack White’s latest record would be a good, or at least honest, way to start a review. Of course that blame I put on his shoulders assumes Jack White cares one fig about whether or not I’m conflicted about his newest album, “Lazaretto”, which I am, and which I’m certain he does not, but c’est la vie. Here I go anyway…


I’ll start by saying that I’m a fan of Mr. White. The White Stripes are one of the best bands in the history of rock music, and as a songwriter and a guitarist, Jack’s got chops. As a guitarist White certainly hasn’t lost any of those chops. Another writer once likened his playing to a blowtorch going through steel, and that analogy is more correct than ever. White’s playing on “Lazaretto” is still blistering and intimidating. Interestingly though, this is where my conflict about the record arises. The staccato/kill-switch bursts of fiery guitar work that Jack White honed into his signature soloing style during his tenure with the White Stripes has, on “Lazaretto”, largely become the structure for the songs themselves. White built his reputation weaving different fabrics of sound together into a greater whole, while here he seems to be ripping threads out one at a time, accentuating each one for a few bars, and then moving on to another. This applies as much or more to the vocals as it does to the music. What this translates to is that it’s pretty easy to find the rock, but a lot harder to find the roll in most of the songs on the album. Without some type of consistent groove to hold his songs together, White’s fits and starts can seem a bit much, like he’s applying the philosophy of Blues, soaked in Punk and electronic music (and even a bit of Classical in spirit), to an exaggerated version of the early “scalpel cut” rock rubric set-up back in the 90’s by Helmet. It’s not uninteresting, but it’s hard to have it sink into your bones the way you want music to do. There are also slight deviations into what I’d call a “bar band sound”, most obviously on “Just One Drink”. It’s the sound embodied by thousands of Stones cover bands throughout the world, and it kind of kills what could otherwise be a top song on the record. This type of thing can’t disappear fast enough for my taste, and while I appreciate the fact that White can make nearly anything cool, he might want to rethink that tack.

That said, most of what White does on “Lazaretto” he does really well. Fans of his guitar work will not be disappointed. “High Ball Stepper” is a highlight. An instrumental number that accentuates the solo driven vibe of the record, it’s a whirlwind of dynamics, distortion, and weird, and it’s impossible not to get a rush from it. And it’s not all fits and starts of distortion. The final track on the record, “Want & Able”, sees White alone at the piano (actually a duet with himself on harmonies and acoustic), revisiting the sensibility of “This Protector” and “White Moon” from his White Stripes days. It may be the best track on the record, and is a clear reminder that White doesn’t need to be burning down the house to be great. After hearing this last song, one can’t help thinking that White might be at his best when he steps back from the role of impresario, abandoning the studio musicians and complex orchestrations in favour of letting his soul bleed out directly through the keys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h71z5t4_nEo

Overall, I feel the same way about “Lazaretto” that I felt upon hearing The Rolling Stones “Exile on Main Street” for the first time. It may be a truly great record, advancing the genre of rock music by doing something no one else has done with it before, or it may be a collection of half-baked ideas forced into masquerading as complete songs with just enough genuinely solid tunes peppered in to keep us confused and coming back for more. Time will tell. Either way, Jack White has only himself to blame. He’s got enough skill and ambition to stump you, which is no small thing. You can check out “Lazaretto” on iTunes, Amazon, or do the record justice and go the vinyl route via White’s own Third Man Records.