Jack White- Frozen Charlotte
Label: Third Man
Producer: Jack White
When Jack White surprise-released his sixth album, No Name in the summer of 2024, it was quickly heralded for its return to the enigmatic rock star’s formative garage-sound origins, and rightfully praised as one of the year’s most entertainingly pure rock records. That spirit continued as White toured to promote the album, with the support of drummer Patrick Keeler and bassist Dominic Davis, who both appeared on Name, as well as keyboardist Bobby Emmett. As this rowdy quartet continued the tour’s run, the music of Frozen Charlotte was likewise born, with a portion of the early work even being road-tested within the trek’s setlist. Consequently, Charlotte very much roars as a spiritual continuation of the loosely raw rock sound that championed its predecessor, though it most certainly earns its own individuality as an album. White once again seems poised to have what is arguably the most gloriously primal A-list rock release of the year; though we must not forget that the Stones are dropping a record today as well. This stands to be a pretty great weekend for honest-to-goodness rock & roll…
As expected, White remains one of the deeper and more socially contemplative artistic voices in modern rock. This is reaffirmed immediately by opening cut and lead single, “G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs”. Among other things, the track reimagines the biblical origin story of Adam and Eve existing in a post-apocalyptic Garden of Eden, considering how the world’s history, or at least how it’s perceived, would change. This is, of course, set against a fittingly thunderous barrage of garage guitars, and White’s signature, joyously demonic vocals. And from there, we’re off to the races, both musically and thematically. He ponders emotional wastelands of unreciprocated human connection in both infectious and haunting fashion on moments like “There’s Nobody There” and “All Alone Again”, respectively. And in the penultimate “Making Contact”, he feels as if he’s finally found the cause of our most glaring personal and societal emotional holes: our reliance on technology.
Technological advancement is certainly not the only guilty party, as he continues through other excavations of human relationships on the record. Greed, both monetary and otherwise, also gets its time in the hot-seat in a cut like “Dollar Bill”. Here, White bemoans our human tendency to fracture even our most vital relationships by sacrificing love and connection in negotiation for more superficial temptations. Meanwhile, “She’s In A Frenzy” perfectly depicts the kind of toxic chaos and drama we often tend to inflict on those we supposedly love the most. In the LP’s finale, “Neighbor’s Blues”, he observes how we treat strangers even worse, with our ill-informed judgments, contributing to both daily annoyances, but also an overall society and culture on the brink of divisive crumble. He takes this philosophical reflection even further on “Nobody Knows”, which grapples with the phenomenal wonder of life’s greatest mysteries, all within the confines of an irresistible rock anthem.
And it’s that sterling but entertaining combination that makes Frozen Charlotte, like the entirety of Jack White’s catalog, so thrilling. Yes, the subject matter of this album is heavy, and so is its sound. But like the greatest music from any of rock’s greatest eras, that weight is deliciously distilled into a surging and anthemic musical framework, that likewise feels just as liberating and triumphant as it does seriously ominous or prophetic. White’s cascading, passion-packed vocal performances are backdropped by jamming showcases for arrangements and a supporting band that is contagiously exhilarating, technically dexterous, and emotionally transfixing. Ballsy garage rock is the musical anchor, but it gloriously collides with greasy blues, blistering classic rock chords and riffs, and heavy-metal intensity at every turn.
This one both commands and deserves to be played loud, to the point where it will blow out the vintage sound systems that Jack White’s core, audiophile fanbase most certainly still employs. And Frozen Charlotte is worth the cost to replace your speakers just to do it all over again.
Track Listing:
- “G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs” (Jack White)
- “Derecho Demonico” (White)
- “There’s Nobody There” (White)
- “Raising the Grain” (White)
- “You’ll Never Fix Me” (White)
- “Nobody Knows” (White)
- “Dollar Bill” (White)
- “I Can’t Believe What I’m Hearing” (White)
- “Thick as Thieves” (White)
- “All Alone Again” (White)
- “She’s In a Frenzy” (White)
- “Making Contact” (White)
- “Neighbor’s Blues” (White)
The 706 
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