by Josh McCann

The new record by Jack White, ‘No Name,’ is his best album since 2012’s ‘Blunderbuss.’ I’m genuinely excited about it. The album is filled with incredible rock riffs and catchy songs.

‘No Name’ is very mysterious. On July 19th, some lucky fans visiting Third Man Records (Jack White’s record studio in Nashville) were gifted with a new vinyl. It didn’t have a cover. No name. Just a plain white vinyl. Imagine how those fans reacted when they went home, played it, and realized it was Jack’s new album?! Yeah, pretty crazy. A recent post on Jack White’s Facebook page said, “Jack White’s new album ‘No Name’ will be available, tomorrow, August 1, exclusively at all Third Man Records store locations on limited edition vinyl.” This is perfect because I recently booked a tour of Third Man Records in August. So exciting!

He’s always prided himself on being different from the pack. I became a huge fan of The White Stripes in the early 2000’s. Their style of garage blues rock was unheard of back then. He moved on to make solid rock albums with The Raconteurs. There was also the Dead Weather as well. His solo albums have had strong singles, but in recent years the music has become very out there. But watching him perform on SNL a couple years ago, in which he crushed it, totally restored my hope in his new music. He’s still one of the the best, if not the best, guitar player of the last 25 years.

So now we have ‘No Name.’ My friend Dustin sent me the YouTube link. I hit play on my phone. After 10 minutes, I was walking around my house, phone to my ears, amazed at all the songs. I immediately thought about what it would be like to hear these songs live. I’ve seen Jack White a couple times. The songs are even better live.

The listening experience is very different for this record—it’s not streaming and hasn’t had an actual physical release. Fans have started naming the tracks themselves. I’ll use those titles in order to review this insane rock album. We all know that Jack loves this stuff. During his shows, fans have to put their phones in a pouch before going into the concert. No pics or videos allowed. It’s all about the show. Being in the moment.

The album kicks off with “Jackie Said She Wants You.” It’s an awesome guitar riff, which builds to all-out distortion only Jack White can play. It sets the tone for the record. And we are just getting started. “That’s How I’m Feeling” (6:05) is a standout track. It has a sweet bass line groove. Then it kicks in with power chords. It’s my favorite song on the record. So catchy. It had me walking around my backyard thinking about when he would tour with this song.

“Rough On Rats” (9:27) has this crazy slide guitar reminiscent of Led Zeppelin! Such a good groove. I can see fans dancing to this one. So good. “Tell Seven Friends” (13:27) features a very cool vocal delivery. Jack is in the zone. Some fantastic 70’s guitar crunch too.

“I’m Bombing Out” (16:20) feels like you’re in the middle of a crowd watching Jack play a small club. The lights flash. It’s fast. Get ready for the night. The second half of the record keeps going strong with “Underground” (26:28). This has an Allman Brothers and Zeppelin type vibe. Blues and slide guitar. Like you’re in a backyard with the band on a hot summer afternoon. I listened to this outside on my patio, so that was fun.

“Morning at Midnight” (33:35) is for the night crowd. That’s me! The opening chords reminds me of “Sixteen Saltines,” which is a good thing. “It’s morning at midnight/there is no sun/what you need to do/you better get some,” White sings. I love staying up late. It’s like the rest of the world is asleep and you’re living it up. This was enjoyable to hear.

The album closes with “I Thought I Knew It All” (39:14). The rhythm is very White Stripes. The slow guitar riff is memorable. Some of the comments from fans have said that this album is really The White Stripes. As exciting as that would be, I don’t think that’s the case. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Jack White put out the best rock album of 2024. We’re going to be jamming to this record for years to come.

Here’s where you can hear the entire album: