Jack White -‘Blunderbuss’ (Third Man/XL)

…so.

The hardest working man in music releases his first solo album. Though he’s seemingly never been short of projects to work on, with the main day job of the White Stripes having called time last year, it’s fair to say that there’s a fair amount of expectation awaiting this album.

Having not been as swayed by his work as a member of the Raconteurs or Dead Weather compared to how much I rated his work with the White Stripes, I must admit to sitting down to listen to this album with some trepidation, but that soon faded away.

The reality is that this is a strong, very fine album. By now you’ve doubtless heard ‘Sixteen Saltines’ – a good introduction to the album – but it’s great to find that the other twelve tracks are not simply carbon copies. In fact, having relocated from Detroit to Nashville seems to have resulted in our hero making an album that mixes his signature take on the blues with country and soul. It isn’t genre-defining or denying album, but it is most definitely the sound of someone showing us what he is capable of. Yet again.

In all seriousness, my favourite of his records since Elephant. Yes, that good.

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Blunderbuss is released by Third Man/XL on April 23.