Jack White – Blunderbuss

Jack White has released his first solo album, titled Blunderbuss (Definition: A short-barrelled large-bored gun with a flared muzzle, used at short range and lacking in precision).

I was quite excited for this album, being a fan of the White Stripes and enjoying the music of the Dead Weather. This excitement was backed up after hearing the first single: Sixteen Saltines.

Unfortunately, however, Blunderbuss fails in being a complete and thoroughly enjoyable album.

The album gets off to a ripper start, Missing Pieces and Sixteen Saltines are a typical showcase of White’s talent and sound, albeit Sixteen Saltines greatly resembles The Hardest Button to Button by the White Stripes mixed with a bit of Dead Weather. Freedom at 21, Love Interruption, Blunderbuss and Hypocritical Kiss are all solid, pleasing songs.

At this stage it is fair to separate the album into two halves. After many listens, I still cannot enjoy the second half of the album. It declines through songs that lack energy, and are boring and totally uninteresting. Watching a live version of Trash Tongue Talker got me into that one a bit, but other than that, nothing. I don’t feel Blunderbuss pick up again until half way through Take Me With You When You Go, and unfortunately by then there’s only 2 minutes of the album remaining.

Overall, Blunderbuss is probably a suitable name for the album. It’s certainly a piece of weaponry but it has a bad tendency to misfire.

On Metacritic it currently rates as 83. For mine this is way too high, I give it 6/10.