by Adam Hacker
photo by David James Swanson
Should we check to make sure Jack White is okay? I mean, he seems sane. But his latest album, this year’s Boarding House Reach, verges on insane. The rap verses, extensive bongos, and gospel choirs can all seem like a lot. What’s probably going on (for me at least) is that I can’t get his canonical days as one half of The White Stripes out of my head. In any case, Jack White always seemed so compelling because he actually made the blues sound progressive in the 2000s when it felt like every band was either trying to be the next big thing in post-punk, art rock, or emo. Not only that, but The White Stripes expertly employed a less-is-more strategy that to this day still seems unbeatable. White’s solo career has of course been brilliant and his music will likely be chanted in stadiums for years to come, whether he likes it or not.
