The roaring guitars on introductory track “Three women” borrow greatly from the blues genre – the song is, after all, a revamped version of blues legend Blind Willie McTell’s track “Three women blues”.
The song offers the impeccable raw sound that fans are used to from White along with excellent bursts of piano and guitar that blend perfectly with his gut-wrenching vocals.
The album’s leading single and title track “Lazaretto” provides listeners with a gripping intro and a soulful guitar solo, which show just how much of a virtuoso White really is. The song also features a unique violin solo which makes it that much more spellbinding.
Lazaretto experiments extensively with country music. This experimentation becomes most evident on tracks like the slow-paced “Temporary ground”, the whimsical “I think I found the culprit”, and “Entitlement” which sounds like it would have fit just as comfortably on a Butch Walker album.
Tracks like the rough and restless “That black bat licorice”, which mixes blues ever-so-slightly with reggae, and the edgy “Would you fight for my love?”, which moves from a solemn and earnest track to an intense vocally and instrumentally robust masterpiece, showcase White’s trademark fidgety melodies and rugged vocals. In strong contrast to this, the piano-painted “Alone in my home” is much more cheerful and light.
Guitar and piano work very carefully and brilliantly together on this album and this is best heard on “Want and able”, Lazaretto’s final track. Choruses flow like rivers throughout the album and every chord is perfectly woven to make Lazaretto a matchless and unforgettable work of pure art.
Rating: 5/5
Image: Nashvillescene.com
