Music Reviews

CD Review: Lazaretto by Jack White

[review]

Inspired by plays and short stories that he wrote when he was 19, Lazaretto is Jack White’s second studio album. Released on 10th June 2014, Lazaretto reached number one on the Billboard chart.

The album starts off with the song “Three Women”. This song is classic Jack White. The instrumentals marry each other really well. It’s a nice introduction to the album.

The single “Lazaretto” has a mixture of sounds. There a few psychedelic synth sounds mixed with an indie rock vibe. I really like the way that Jack White has managed to separate the song into different sections. It’s almost like listening to different acts of a play.

This album has some very country sections. Almost too country for me. But the more psychedelic pieces were really appealing. What I really like about this album is that every song has a different story to tell. It’s a mismatch of earthy tones, synth and rock. This keeps you on your toes throughout the album. However, that being said I didn’t find that any songs that really stood out for me. I was never really aware that I was listening to a really good song.

Many of the instrumentals in this album are fairly slow. But they are contrasted well with White’s short, sharp vocals. They keep you interested in what he has to say. The second single from the album “Just One Drink” is one of the more country like songs. There are a lot of backing vocals in this song and in many of the other songs on the album. It almost feels like this album is a duet in some sections.

While listening to this album I kept getting the impression that each song was building up to something that never came. The violins gave an interesting sound of cynicism and created an atmosphere that matched Jack Whites style but I feel like they could have gone a bit further to match the gothic theme that surrounds the album’s design.

Overall it’s a nice listen but it didn’t blow me away by any means. It’s not really an album I would focus on to listen to specifically.

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Melissa Evans
I am a Welsh student who loves music, reading and tea. My favourite genre of music is Indie and I love finding new bands to listen to, especially ones who may have only release demos so far. I can also happily sit down to a John Green book with tea in hand and not move all day.
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