Say what you will about Jack White…but there’s no denying the fact that his Energizer mind works in marvelous ways. After seeing It Might Get Loud earlier this year it became clear to me, and
maybe only me, that he is a consummate artist. We watched him pull inspiration from the far reaches of music’s history, pay homage to the deep, Southern soul at the heart of his work, and experiment with heavy, disparate metallic howls in the upstairs attic of an abandoned Victorian home, in the same way that a mad scientist might tamper with boiling beakers—deranged and raw.
2010 will see White return to the mixer in the role of producer. Remember that fantastic album he made in 2004, Van Lear Rose, with Loretta Lynn? This time around White intends to reinvent the touted “Queen of Rockabilly,” Wanda Jackson, a one-time tour mate and lover of Elvis Presley, a dynamic collaboration that is sure to feed the “little bit o’ Country, little bit o’ Rock and Roll” thing that White does so well. In fact, I’m going to go ahead and make this my first “most anticipated release” for 2010.
