Brittany Howard and Ruby Amanfu's Contrasting Vocals Highlight Third Man Blue Series 7-Inch

This recent Blue Series 7-inch 45 rpm single from Jack White's Third Man Records features two up-and-coming vocalists. Brittany Howard is the lead singer and one of the guitar players in Alabama Shakes, one of the hottest bands on the indie scene at the moment. They mix good Deep South blues boogie with thick slabs of buzzsaw rock. Southern rock for the new millennium. Ghana-born Ruby Amanfu has been heard most recently on many collaborations, including Jack White's debut solo album, but has many songwriting credits for tracks by other artists and a few full-length albums and EPs under her belt.

Side A is a cover of cult '70s folk-rock musician Rodriguez' "I Wonder." This version keeps the original's upbeat, snaking rhythm but fleshes it out a bit more. Bass, played by Jack White sideman Dominic Davis,  is featured prominently and plays one of the main riffs while the guitar is mostly crunchy rhythm with some slide/steel thrown in. Bluesy piano and electric organ is provided by former Mars Volta keyboardist Ikey Owens. There's even a reggae-like instrumental break in the middle of the song. Howard and Amanfu trade off verse lines while singing the chorus together. The contrast between the two works very well. Howard, usually a belter, tones it down a bit but still provides a slightly raspy, bluesy swagger. Amanfu's is more in line with soul music with a multi-tonal thing going on. Howard's voice supplies the ground floor for Amanfu's to spring off from.

Side B is a cover of blues legend Memphis Minnie's "When My Man Comes Home." This one is a bit more of a slow burn and keeps in line with old school acoustic blues. Howard plays acoustic guitar on this song as well as sings though the lazy horse clippity-clop blues rhythm is mostly driven by plaintive drums, waves of organ and tinkling piano (played by Cory Younts of Old Crow Medicine Show). Howard's vocals sound just as earthy as Memphis Minnie's herself and Amanfu's take on a warbling 1920s quality. The two meet in a breathy chorus that fits the song well. The only problem with "When My Man Comes Home" is that its too short. Just when its getting good it ends.

Something about this particular collaboration between Brittany Howard and Ruby Amanfu seems natural and special, possibly because, if both play their cards right, their careers could take off explosively. This also shows that a full-length album by these two could easily happen and would probably be great.

Gibby Haynes and Jack White Expertly Marry Punk and Blues on Third Man Blue Series 7-Inch

Jack White's Nashville-based record label Third Man has a series of 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl singles called The Blue Series that brings in varied musicians to the Third Man recording studios to cut two tracks, usually all covers. Each Blue Series release puts a unique spin on familiar and not so familiar songs and really showcases the uniqueness and innate talent of both the featured artist and White's production ability and musical taste. The Blue Series entry from Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes is no different, though it features original songs written by Haynes.

Side A of the 45 starts off with the wonderfully demented punk ditty "Paul's Not Home," originally by hardcore band Adrenalin O.D. The song is structured around a person ringing the doorbell and asking questions like "Is Paul in rehab?" followed by one line repeated over and over again, like "Paul's on dope!," very fast with a jackhammer downstroke-heavy repetitive punk riff led by Jack White on guitar. The song ends in a typically punk sputter of disjointed notes and random vocalizations. Also in typical punk fashion it's very short, clocking in well under two minutes.

The second track on Side A is a Gibby Haynes original, "You Don't Have To Be Smart." Naturally, it sounds a bit like Butthole Surfers but with a bit more of a blues thing going on. The song also has some Stooges vibes in the tones and a blistering, frenetic James Williams-like guitar solo from Jack White in the middle that actually takes up most of the short song.

Side B is another Haynes original, "Horse Named George," which is an overt Chicago blues boogie, presumably about a guy's adventures with his horse, that nearly verges on parody simply because Gibby exudes tongue-in-cheek. However, it's still a rocking song with the classic Muddy Waters-like call-and-response structure but explosive guitar and drums that recall Jack White's many bands as well as Led Zeppelin.

Not every Blue Series release is a winner but this one from Gibby Haynes is. It manages to capture the unhinged weirdness he has but also showcases it in a way that's enjoyably different than what we've heard from him before.

Jack White Stands On His Own

As great as the band was, Jack White proves on Blunderbuss that he doesn't need The White Stripes. While he also has The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs, being free from a band setting comprised of supposedly equal parts and a set sound style has freed White up for other types of songwriting, while still keeping the garage rock/blues vibe he's become famous for.

This album has an interesting background. RZA of The Wu-Tang Clan was going to record with Jack White but he never showed up so Jack used that time to begin his first solo album instead. He also alternates between two completely different backing bands, one all female (besides himself of course) and one all male. There's also a lot more piano and organ and less guitar compared to most of his other music.

The first single, "Love Interruption" is best described as acoustic soul but, though it has some great vocal harmony, is a slow burner that never really reaches a satisfying crescendo. "Missing Pieces" has a similar problem and has staircase-patterned organ lines doubled by reverb-tweaked guitar.

"Sixteen Saltines" is one of  only a few out and out rockers on the album. It's reminiscent of The White Stripes' "The Hardest Button To Button" it it's treble-heavy buzzsaw guitar riffage. But unlike the aforementioned Stripes song, a distorted electric organ mirrors the guitar.

Oddly but interestingly electronica-tinged "Freedom at 21" has some frenetic drumming that's really the most distinctive part of the song. Most of the guitar playing has a '90s grunge feel though the massive outro solo takes a page from the herky jerky Whammy pedal style of Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello.

"Blunderbuss" and "On and On and On" have country flavors, especially the former. It features prominent acoustic guitar and pedal steel. Plaintive piano fleshes out this ballad. The later song also has pedal steel but this has a mournful sound akin to the Chinese erhu. The warbling organ, thanks to a Leslie rotating speaker, and the reverb-soaked other instrumentation, brings to mind images of a meandering river.

The guitar and piano compliment each other well on "Weep Themselves To Sleep." The intro is a bit like The White Stripes' "Doorbell." But the more intricate piano playing throughout most of this song has a bit of tango feel.

"I'm Shakin" is straight up rockabilly/call and response blues. The song's written by Rudy Toombs, the doo wop and R&B songwriter most known for "One Mint Julep." Reverb is king here as is the playfully jagged guitar riff.

"Take Me With You When You Go" flies into the stratosphere. It has an expansive, '60s Woodstock kind of vibe to it. Violin flourishes and quick beats Mitch Mitchell (of Jimi Hendrix's band) style drumming help this along. The piano provides the main riff with the guitar used  mostly for a solo in the middle of the song.

If The Raconteurs is analogous to Led Zeppelin, than Blunderbuss is analogous to Robert Plant's solo work of the past decade. Jack White takes bits and pieces of various genres and glues them together in his own unique way to create some great, fresh sounding music that is in turn deeply respectful of the triumphs of the classics in blues, rock, folk and country. Jack's other bands have, for better and for worse, more rigidity in sound and style. The newness and lack of rules of a solo musical persona helped him create a great album that doesn't simply coast on the past.

The Dead Weather Rocks the Blues with Mixed Results

It might be safe to say that Jack White has music ADHD. The White Stripes and Raconteurs leader is not content with being in just one band, or two for that matter. But the upside to that is that listeners get to hear many facets of his talent. With The Dead Weather, White returns to his first instrument, the drums. Taking more of a back seat like this gives his band members, Alison Mosshart from The Kills, Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs and Dean Fertita from Queens Of The Stone Age, more of a spotlight and it shows on the band's debut album, Horehound.

"60 Feet Tall" begins like a rehearsal warm-up, a rolling drum beat from White and disjointed guitar licks from Fertita. But the song soon morphs into a slow burning, Zeppelin-like bluesy groove with Mosshart's sultry but earthy vocals invoking Patti Smith. Unfortunately, the percussion is cymbal-heavy and that bleeds all over the track in certain sections.

One of two songs released as a vinyl .45 on Record Store Day, "Hang You From The Heavens" takes much of the electro-blues of The Kills with it's geometric and intricate drumming. Fertita's guitar lays thick slabs of fuzz.

Whether it was intentional or not, "I Cut Like A Buffalo" has a lot of reggae flavor. This has most to do with the prominent electric organ, played by Fertita, and the regular echo flurries. White sings lead here and it sounds filtered through a megaphone.

"So Far From Your Weapon" begins with a similar intro to "60 Feet Tall" but with call-and-response vocals, reminiscent of classic blues. Again, the drumming is cymbal-heavy. Oddly enough, the defining element of this song is a weird warble from an indistinguishable instrument lurking in the background.

"Treat Me Like Your Mother" is aggressive from the outset with driving drums and crunchy fuzz guitar riffing. The tempo increases towards rollicking rollercoaster standards halfway through the song with pummeling drums and fast slide guitar lines. Mosshart and White trade lead vocals. You could even call White's vocals in this song rap.

"Will There Be Enough Water" is a departure from the overall sound of the album. White's only guitar contribution, it takes much from early John Lee Hooker, specifically minor key elegies like "It Serves Me Right To Suffer." The heartbeat drumming and nearly inaudible piano in the background help to create a true blues emotion.

While Horehound is bookended perfectly, nearly half the album is unremarkable, a mess of odd rhythms that are abrasive rather than interesting. However, the majority, even if it is a small one, does save the album and makes it worth listening to and owning. Once again, Jack White has found a new way to interpret the blues while staying faithful to traditions. But when all is said and done, Mosshart's contributions are what make this album unique.