Jack White
Lazaretto

From public beefs with fellow greats sparked by rants about the problems with “today’s generation” to an ugly divorce suit with his second wife, Jack White is blossoming into today’s standout grumpy middle-aged rock star. You’d assume one would wait to hit this stage when his career is dwindling and his music is no longer exciting, but White is far from being washed up. Actually, White seems to become all the more relevant with age: he’s headlining major festivals, producing albums with music legends, and releasing fantastic singles. Lazaretto, his second solo album after 2012’s Blunderbuss, shows that Jack White isn’t going anywhere—and he’s bringing every grumpy and judgmental bone with him to the top.

Lazaretto is a lot like Blunderbuss in that each song is unique and individual with no real overall theme, but they are all distinctly Jack White. Bluesy tunes like “Three Women” display White’s Tennessee roots, while shredders such as “High Ball Stepper” and “Lazaretto” have all the electricity we’d want for a Jack White album. His delicate side comes out in “Want and Able” and spiritual “Temporary Ground,” and jazzy female background singer Ruby Amanfu foils White’s harsh vocals on a number of tracks, creating a wide array of tones and emotions to carry the listener through the album.

Lazaretto is highly pertinent to White’s life right now, with a wagging finger at today’s generations in “Entitlement” and the heartbreak of a disintegrated relationship in “Would You Fight For My Love.” Jack White is grumpy and cocky and probably not super pleasant to be around right now, but he’s still damn talented and producing fantastic songs fit for insane live performances. Thus, for White fans everywhere, Lazaretto does not disappoint.