I’ve never been through a desert on a horse with no name, but I have been through a few work commutes with an album called that.
Disc 1813 is…No Name
Artist: Jack White
Year of Release: 2024
What’s up with the Cover? I thought this was water droplets at first, but my good wife observed that it is actually a picture of a cement wall.
Whatever it is, it is a whole lot of nothing. If I wanted some random texture for an album cover, I could pick from any number of stock background fill effects in MS Publisher.
How I Came To Know It: I am an avowed Jack White fan through his many iterations (White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather and solo work). When this came out I immediately checked it out, even though I then had to wait a while to acquire it (more on that later).
How It Stacks Up: Despite my aforementioned fandom, there was a brief window where I was not picking up what Jack was putting down. As a result I have only four of his six solo efforts and no plans to get the other two. I am happy to say that Jack is back in my good books. Of the four I have, “No Name” comes in at #1.
Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5
“No Name” is pure, cask-strength, double-distilled Jack White. Over the years Jack White has tried on a number of different hard rock styles, and with each one he kept what he liked, crossed it with his unique guitar style and compositional genius and then moved on to the next challenge. “No Name” feels like Jack coming full circle, as he brings in elements of everything he’s learned (or created) over the past twenty-plus years, finding the elemental core of its being, and applying amplification.
The quintessence of Jack White is grimy, blues-rock guitar, played like a man wielding a hammer in a marble quarry, with violent but controlled aggression. There is a garage punk element to his playing at times as well, but above all else it is defined through grit and crunch. The riffs are inspired and feel timeless.
“No Name” has thirteen songs, and nary a one disappoints on the riff meter. Rich and aggressive and loud no matter how low you set your volume. Jack White has never sounded crunchier.
There is also a joyful abandon to White’s playing on this record that made me think of his earliest work with the White Stripes. Rock for rock’s sake for seemingly no other reason than – to reference one of the song titles - because that’s how he’s feeling right now.
The brilliance of Jack White is never in question, and the list of what he’s done for modern hard rock – production, guitar style, vocal delivery, and songwriting – is long and distinguished. But there is also a bit of Dylan in Jack, in that when he decides he’s going to go and do something, he’s going to go do it, and whether you like the new direction or not feels very secondary to his journey.
Whether by design or accident, “No Name” is nevertheless a crowd pleaser through and through. Long time fans will welcome back the pure Jack of their youth. People hearing him for the first time will stop and shake their heads and exclaim, “this guy has over ten other records? Sign me up!”
Throughout it all, White’s love for the history of rock and roll is evident. You’ll hear echoes of Motorhead, the Who, and a host of old blues masters besides. White’s charm is that he can pay such beautiful homage to the musical history of rock and roll and still surf the front edge of the wave.
There are so many favourites on this record, and for the most part it is the riff you will fall in love with first, last and always. Some songs have two or three complementary riffs, but for the most part “No Name” is like great Italian cooking: three or four ingredients, artfully mixed and produced just enough to bring out the flavour, while retaining the bite.
Lyrics feel secondary on this record, although I do appreciate a few lines from “What’s the Rumpus?” where White provides a nod and wink to critics and record execs along the way that may have doubted his journey:
“What’s the rumpus?
When will the label
dump us?
They tried to stump
us
Now in what genre will
they lump us?”
The sly dog knows he’s got a hit record on his hands and he wants the doubters and haters to know that he knows. Well played, Mr. White.
My only gripes are not about the music at all. First, I loved White’s soft release of the record by sneaking unmarked copies into shoppers’ bags. But then he took his sweet time toying with whether he’d let the rest of us get a copy. I think he toyed with us a bit longer than was polite, but I suppose that’s rock and roll.
Second, once finally out, the CD release does not list the tracks on the back, just more ‘cement’ background. Sure the liner notes have the lyrics (kudos) there is no good reason to not let me follow along with the song titles during a listen.
None of that is a reflection on the music, however. If anything the reason it was frustrating to wait for is because it is so brilliant. That’s a good problem to have.
Best tracks: Old Scratch Blues, That’s How I’m Feeling, It’s Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking), What’s the Rumpus?, Underground
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