Rating: NNN
Jack White’s first proper post-White Stripes solo album began on a whim when the RZA blew off a recording session – and it shows. Blunderbuss has the casual feel of a talented rocker fooling around in a nice studio, giving a pleasing sense of immediacy but with far less weight than you’d expect from an album this highly anticipated.
It’s immediately pleasing and, thanks to varied instrumentation, comes across as far more complex than it actually is. Unfortunately, Blunderbuss is more a collection of great sounds than good songs, and there’s very little here that you’ll be humming to yourself later.
White seems to be having tons of fun, to a point that verges on self-parody. Thankfully, there are just enough flashes of brilliance to save it, even if much of the album comes across as a really expensive demo.
Top track: Take Me With You When You Go
