What's odd about Jack White's solo discography, though, is the way that his fifth album sort of throws the trajectory off; starting off with more standard fare before gradually growing wilder, funkier and louder with each album, Entering Heaven Alive is rather easy to read as a step back. By stripping away the more outlandish experiments and presenting relatively traditional songs, there's a natural tendency to take an album like this as a creative step back or, worse, a watered down version of what came before.
This kind of thought is silly, of course; if listeners of Jack White's material over the past two decades and change have learned anything, it's that you can never put what he does into such a neat and tiny box. Underneath the sparser arrangements on Entering Heaven Alive are little intricacies and nuanced sonic presentations that aren't inferior simply because they don't aim to overwhelm. In many ways, it's wholly refreshing to hear songs buoyed by these relatively straightforward instrumentals; even though the experimental spirit of recent releases is still there (on some tracks, such as Queen of the Bees, obviously so), the heavy lifting is truly down to the songs themselves here.
Some of the criticism surrounding White's approach here is that said songs are among the weakest he's culled together on an album, which is both somewhat fair and somewhat unfair. True, there are a few lyrical clunkers spread across the track list, and there is some inevitable fatigue that comes with a narrower scope and overall slower pace to the record; that said, this is an exercise in intentional restraint that was never meant to match the excitement of Fear of the Dawn, otherwise the former would have simply been a double album. So yes, stripping away much of the bombast exposes the cracks in Jack White's craft but, in a way, it's refreshingly humanizing.
To wit, it's now no secret that the bulk of Entering Heaven Alive's songs are odes to newfound love; days after the release of Fear of the Dawn, White married Olivia Jean, and Entering Heaven Alive makes sense in the context of White's life since it's very likely the most romanticized album he's ever produced. This is yet another major differentiator between his two albums this year, as Entering Heaven Alive comes out far more hopeful, content and positive than Fear of the Dawn, again punctuating the necessity of separating the two projects.
As for the songs themselves, this is where I'd normally go through the track list and describe what's happening as succinctly as I can; however, I think the message is getting across fairly well without delving into individual tracks. If you're reading this, there's virtually zero chance you haven't listened to previous Jack White works, whether it's solo material, The White Stripes, The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, etc. So, perhaps it's better to just sum it up like this: if you've traditionally enjoyed the more heartfelt, charming side of Jack White's material, you'll find plenty of reassurance that the same boy you've always known is still there. As for those let down by this step away from the blustery, wild hearted experimentation of his last couple of records? I wouldn't worry; something tells me this is a temporary diversion.
July 22, 2022 • Third Man
Highlights A Tip from You to Me • Love is Selfish • If I Die Tomorrow
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