Jack White - Blunderbuss

My dream project: Jack White producing and playing on an Alicia Keys album.

That sounds OK, except for the Jack White part.

yeah i'll stand by the black keys for a couple albums, they kinda lost me around magic potion but rubber factory is pretty great, and the first one is too.

There's some White Stripes stuff that I genuinely like, but I haven't bothered to check out White's side projects or solo stuff. He really does seem to be pretty humourless and dour - which seems at odds with all his theatrics, costumes, gimmicks, and publicity stunts. I kind of liked the White Stripes' having a concept and a self-conscious myth-making made-up backstory. I know that stuff isn't in fashion - but when the White Stripes first popped up, I thought it was cool to see someone pull together so fully-formed - like the Ramones or Devo or KISS or the NY Dolls. But those bands were funny - and a little creepy and nuts - and it worked for them (at least for awhile). I think Jack White tried to create his own private world like those bands, but it ended up too precious and pretentious and closed-off to be all that interesting. Also, not enough good rocking tunes.

so no talk about the new album Lazaretto? i actually had no idea there was a new one until today. reading ILM too much, lol.

He was just on the cover of Rolling Stone...

"Feel like he's still got a lot of artifice in his songwriting that he needs to get rid of. He feels too self conscious still or soemthing, like he's trying to prove something with his songs. I think if that ever goes away and he writes from the heart he'll be incredible."

This. Although I only think it's a problem when the tempo or volume drops. When its black math or rag and bone, it seems totally undeniable.