Cue the night terrors, cause over the course of its 13 tracks, clocking in at 43 minutes, Frozen Charlotte proves itself to be a badly needed shot in the arm.

A penny, and a nickel, and a dime ..

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The engine room powering the album's mighty propeller shaft comes in the shape of Patrick Keeler (drums), Dominic Davis (bass) and organist Bobby Emmet. Yip, the same trio that cleansed Jack’s palate on No Name. Put them together and they bring the mark of a group project to the affair in the say way Neil Young would give Crazy Horse a call when he wanted to polish off some riffs and groove.

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Ofcourse, the album was preceded by the likes of G.O.D. And The Broken Ribs & Derecho Demonico .. not that we were aware an album was incoming at the time of their release. Feedback riddled and bluesy, both tracks were clearly intended as foundation stones primed for live performance, with both of them chugging along a la Zeppeli. “Welcome to the Garden of Eden .. end of the world” indeed.

 

If No Name ticked yer fancy, then it’s likely you’ll find yourself gravitating to the likes of Nobody Knows and Dollar Bill, their piercing 70’s styled riffage consigning the tender folk of 2022’s Entering Heaven Alive, to the lower reaches of Jack’s catalogue. In short, White’s ability to bring the blues into the 21st century is to the fore. On Frozen Charlotte, he’s doing what he does best. Thank fuck.

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Yip, just as No Name’s Where’s The Rumpus was driven by an AC/DC flavoured backbeat, the strutting Nobody Knows pulls out all the stops in a For Those About to Rock kinda way .. and if that ignites your fire, She’s in a Frenzy will have you strapping on hob-nailed boots to kick down your front door just for the hell of it.

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Yeah, my hedges are too high, aren't they? ..

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Charlotte may be more deliberate in its approach, but sometimes the best results can be achieved by taking things that little bit slower. That said, it would have come as no surprise had Jack confessed to having started work on ‘Charlotte’ the day after No Name was in the can. That’s not what happened, but praise be it feels that way.

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You’ll Never Fix Me, slams from the off, Volume turned to eleven. Lyrically Jack extols, “My love is broken, it’s inside of your mind / Just ’cause I don’t speak that don’t make me a mime / Chat your friends that you will never fix me / Just take a shot and you’ll miss me .. So long, I’m yelling now because I’m gone / Son you can fix up the sheets in the morn / I’ve had enough of waking up in pain.” A shot across the bows to divorce filing wife, Olivia Jean? Maybe not. Part of the album being recorded before the split .. ‘the wife’ being credited with a bass credit on one number. Then again, ‘Charlotte’ doesn’t come across as a collection of tracks you’d pen when all loved up. The cynical edge to Dollar Bill lending itself to the ’shot across the bow’ theory .. “She did it for the love / And a dollar, a dollar bill.”

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I Can’t Believe What I’m Hearing, plays on a softer Racounteurs vibe, whilst highlight, Thick As Theives, kicks up a ruckus before the whole thing closes with album highlight, Neighbor Blues. NB is a slow-burner, a pot-boiler, as it were. There’s tension, simmering aggression, a stripped-back approach which only serves to enhance the back to basics approach of the project .. the attack plan of which being chalked on a blackboard somewhere in the depths of Third Man’s Nashville HQ.

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We will fulfill each other's needs ..

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Jack is now 50 years young and in some ways is very much the American historian. The curator of cultural items he considers worthy of preservation. So, in the wider context, new album aside, this year has seen him publish a new book of his lyrics, poems and selected musings and stage his first major exhibition, connecting craftsmanship and the visual language of the American Midwest.

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Important though these things are, playing to the masses is where the real magic happens. Hence the slew of dates in support of ‘Charlotte’.  Dates, which on this side of the pond, included end August appearances at Eventim Apollo, London, The Prospect Building, Bristol, O2 City Hall, Newcastle and The Telegraph Building, Belfast. None of this Arena-level nonsense for Jacko, God no. We’re talking about a lad who played intimate Midwest club dates during his surprise No Name guerilla tour between Aug and Oct 2024.

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Bringing the music to public doesn’t stop there, oh no. Discounted, on show day, tickets were made available to students during the UK dates, with Third Man Records pop-up stores accompanying the tour. Nice one.

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As for the shows themselves, it comes as no surprise that Jack turned UK theatres in sweat-driving garage clubs as he delivered a mixture of solo material, White Stripes classics, Raconteurs faves and covers (Rosetta Howard’s Delta Bound and Hank Williams My Bucket’s Got A Hole In it, to name but two). If you were after a night of unplugged screens (strict no-phone policy) and plugged-in amps, then you wouldn't havt been disappointed .. basically, the tour’s delivering as expected. Every note’s lived. Every vibration felt.

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US dates follow.

 

Neil Young once sang that Rock n Roll will never die; Jack’s here to make sure that remains the case for a good while yet. We go deep on Frozen Charlotte this playlist.

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​ALSO THIS PLAYLIST .. Kicking things off, there’s blues legend, Son House. Regarded by Jack White as his single biggest musical influence, Grinnin’ in Your Face remains his favourite song (watch Jack give it a spin in the It Might Get Loud doc here). On the new release front we delve into Mike D’s debut, post Beastie Boys, solo outing. 14 years since that story ended with the untimely passing of Adam “MCA” Yauch, Thank You marks Mike D moving on from recent projects that have revisited and reflected on the Beastie Boys’ achievements. The album finds the lad energised and sassily gonzo .. he’s even invited the kids (Skyler and Davis Diamond) along for the ride. Also new, is second album from Minehead’s Getdown Services. Long-awaited, it may fail on certain counts, but when bold and crunchier, it’s what we craved from the boys. As for our favourite LA/Turkish combo, ÖLÜM, they’re back with another single release.

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ELSEWHERE .. The archive delivers a few 'new' items. First off is the box set reissue of The Fall’s Cerebral Caustic, followed swiftly by Graham Coxon’s Castle Park album, finally seeing the light of day after being shelved a number of years ago. As for The Cramps' Gravest Gravy sessions from 1977, it’s out there and not before time too. And if more were needed, Beck’s Odelay turned 30 on 18 June, it’s big hitters make the cut; there’s tracks from Masters of Reality, Thee Oh Sees and Red Hot Chill Peppers before we round the whole thing off by going full scale classic Detroit with numbers from The Stooges, MC5 and some combo known as White Stripes.

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MCQ returns in two weeks.

Until then, I’m off to the Crazy Daisy.

You'll find our Dolly Parton Tribute Edition playlist, which runs alongside this issue, below.

Enjoy.

Ed.

For Frank and Dolly.

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