It may be a slight surprise to learn that, until now, Jack White has never released a proper solo album. But then again, it has never been his style. A man of remarkable talent and contradictions, White is virtuoso guitarist, surprisingly insightful songwriter and most importantly a key band member. His penchant for mixing modern garage rock crunch and old school blues tradition has always been best in the service of others. And each new venture has reveled new shades of his particular sound. The now-defunct White Stripes were primal garage rock, the Dead Weather spooky and heavy blues metal and his production work for Loretta Lynn airier and sharp. Now with the release of _Blunderbuss_, he strips down the names and associations enough to confirm himself as one of the most talented and eclectic alternative performers of the last 15 years, bandmates be damned.

_Blunderbuss_ starts out solid and becomes increasingly weird and rewarding as it goes along, starting out as a basic but rewarding straight rock album and ending in a delightful blur of country, blues and classic folk. This is White’s Third Man Records house style, but it’s given an extra boost with real focus from White and his predominately female backing band, as well as the recent emotional baggage of his recent divorce. The sound and songwriting make for a weird, often funny brew that’s distinctly American and all White, creating probably his most honest record as well as one of his best.

_Blunderbuss_ begins playing to his established strengths; “Missing Piece” is an easygoing opener with playful organ and a nice forward lilt, while “Sixteen Saltines” is the only thing here resembling the White Stripes mold, with the main riff beat up to oblivion with yelping vocals and pounding drums. White quickly leaves this territory, however, and wanders into the strange realm of Old America, coming up with some outrageously entertaining results.

“Love Interruption” is relatively basic but engaging singer-songwriting craft with an aggressive edge and waxy organ, “I Guess I Should Go to Sleep” is very droll and old-timey waltz with honky tonk piano and cheeky vocal cues while the title track is a thoughtful and lively country ballad with gorgeous pedal steel lines. It’s important to note that White often sticks to his acoustic guitar on these tracks preferring to stay in the background even in his own album. His signature pecky solos are rare, but when they crop up (like the coda of “Take Me With You When You Go”) they never feel overstated, preferring to assist the sound rather than overpower it. But this strategy pays off even better when he cranks up the intensity.

Placed in the dead middle of the album, Blunderbuss’ two best tracks are its most energetic and genre-bending. “Weep Themselves Asleep” is a victorious-sounding stomper with thundering rifts and a sneaky piano tinkle. “I’m Shakin’” is in another league; a Little Willie John tune sped up and warped to oblivion with bayou boogie guitar and faux-hysterical yelps from White (his pronunciation of “nervous” in Three Stooges fashion is hilarious). With powerful rhythms and fiery soul backing vocals, it’s an incredibly potent mixture that rocks to boot. While nothing quite matches this peak, there is so much fantastic material that even the quirkier tendencies are charming rather than annoying; “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy” has bouncy mandolin and carnival piano to accompany its sly melody. But White can play it straight too, like with the slow, country-tinged “On and On and On,” which avoids being dirge-like with some bouncy bass and energetic bridges.

So what can be taken from all of this variety? White is an artist whose skills as a rocker and more importantly as a blues revivalist are strong no matter the setting, and in fact seem supplemented with stranger and more rewarding musical queues when he is left to his own devices. _Blunderbuss_ is by no means a showy album, but it is an exceptional one, and it proves that the White brand is possibly best when the transfer is not needed at all.