JACK WHITE
Blunderbuss
Third Man/Columbia
Rating: 
Jack White is nothing if not considerate. On this, the former White Stripes frontman’s first solo album since dissolving his dynamic duo, he acclimates listeners slowly, trackby- track, to his more stately status quo. On the opener, “Missing Pieces,” White wakes up with a nosebleed in the shower while a Hammond organ toots and grooves. “Sixteen Saltines” is a familiar icky thump, spiked with some sexy Stratocaster onsense about Magic Markers and licking fingers. But eventually White’s piano slides toward center stage. The ballroom bliss of the title track and the ivory-tickling “Trash Tongue Talker” make it plain that the 36-year-old has changed his bright stripes for more age-appropriate, understated tones.
