Jack White has problems, specifically, girl problems.
He is just a bit more eloquent than, say, Jay-Z’s “99 Problems.”
And, if White’s “divorce party” from Karen Elson was a cover-up for his true feelings, then his new album, “Blunderbuss,” is his admission of problems.
White released his first solo album Tuesday and, as with everything he does, a feeding frenzy began. Is the album too country? Is it too White Stripes? Is it even good?
Well, if the lyrics from “Love Interruption” are a clue, then the album is simply therapy for White.
“I want love to roll me over slowly, stick a knife inside me and twist it all around,” White sings. “I want love to murder my own mother and take her off to somewhere like hell or up above.”
Now, White has always been a little off-kilter when it comes to relationships. After all, this is the man who was able to fool the press into thinking his ex-wife, Meg White, was his sister. Then, when the truth revealed itself, White played it off as if it was no big deal.
Musically, “Blunderbuss” is exactly what one might expect from White. Some songs have the pop-sense of The Raconteurs, while others have the garage feel of The White Stripes and the heavier aspects of the Dead Weather. Nothing is too surprising here.
Where the album takes a turn from standard White material is in the lyrics. Never before has White seemed so willing to reveal his true feelings about love and relationships. Aside from the severe imagery in “Love Interruption,” a majority of the album’s songs are about the harsher side of love.
At first, the lyrics seem a bit uncalled for. After all, White has not exactly lived a hard life. Growing up in Detroit, White had a difficult time making ends meet for a bit, but since the White Stripes’ success, it would seem the man does not have much to complain about.
However, after a few listens, White’s brazen “it-is-what-it-is” attitude comes as a refreshing change from his usual lyrical fare. He is definitely not hiding anything here.
The album finds White in his prime, both as a songwriter, and as a man finally revealing himself to the world. Gone is the red-and-white clothing and in its place is just a man. A talented and creative man, but a man nonetheless.
