Jack has gotten more front porch bluesy since he packed it up for Nashville and I think that may just be the norm. Tennessee has a grip on folk and if it doesn’t make you twangy it sorta messes with your brain. Maybe it’s the heat maybe its the history but theres some mad juju down there.
Jack has used his adventures in Third Man Records to become a bizarre Michael Jackson without the monkeys and pedophilia (as of now). After the mad success of his album Blunderbuss(which was on heavy duty repeat with me forever) the well went dry and he just became a staple of TLC network tv shows and eccentric behavior. But now… back to the music.
“High Ball Stepper” is a blues grinding audio adventure that leaves you waiting for the hook- and there is none. With no defined start or stop you could easily drop your turntable needle (cuz that’s what all the cool kids do) anywhere and not feel out of order. Is it good? Yeah, of course. White is a great musician and in this he can showcase a few styles and he does each quite well. This tune would fare well in a scene from a Bruce Willis movie or something.
The album is out June 10th on Third Man of course and will also be offered in one of their ‘Vault’ packages. The added bonus stuff is odd as White himself, The album titled “Lazaretto” pressed on split-color blue-and-white vinyl, exclusive album art, a linen letter-pressed postcard, and a fold-out poster featuring a classic National Archives photo that serves as a recurrent image throughout the album art. 40-page hard-bound companion piece book full of lyrics, exclusive musical notations, photos and art.
I’ll take the digital download. It doesn’t suck but lets hope Lazaretto has some diversity in its grooves.
