After a lifetime as an electrifying blues man, Jack White has now charged, gats blazing, into his prog rock phase.
There's certainly something to celebrate about White finally casting off his self-imposed shackles to go sonically nuts and cut loose. But self-indulgence is rarely the path to enlightment and on this, his third solo record, he has most assuredly gone completely out of his mind.
It makes for an album full of high-voltage thrills and genuine surprise as White revels in his newfound creative freedom. But it also means putting up with every musical folly he entertained during its making - such as the tedious spoken interludes or when he raps.
But when he's on fire, look out. White yelps and shouts and smashes wild riffs, pulsating synths, ragtime pianos and hip-hop samples into each other with a freewheeling abandon.
Over and Over and Over is a great example of his surplus of ideas coming together. It mashes a blistering riff, Congo drums, diva backing vocals and a blazing solo together. It rocks hard.
