''Lazaretto'' is the second studio album by
Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...
. It was released on June 10, 2014, through White's own label
Third Man Records
Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, and Soho, London—with ...
in association with
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group.
Although only releasing an average of six album ...
and
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. The "Ultra"
LP features hidden songs, secret grooves and holograms that materialize when the record is being played. ''Lazaretto'' was partly inspired by a collection of short stories, poems, and plays White wrote when he was 19 years old and rediscovered years later in his attic. The album debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling 138,000 copies in its first week.
Background
Sessions for the album began in 2012 during gaps in touring for White's ''
Blunderbuss
The blunderbuss is a firearm with a short, large caliber barrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity or caliber. The blunderbuss is commonly consid ...
'' album.
White told ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' in a February 2013 interview that he was working on "20 to 25 tracks." He explained of the new material, "it's definitely not one sound. It's definitely several. Like you heard in ''Blunderbuss'', there're many styles there. I don't pick my style and then write a song. I just write whatever comes out of me, and whatever style it is what it is, and it becomes something later." He hinted during a January 2014 chat session with fans on the
Third Man Records
Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, and Soho, London—with ...
message board that he was almost done with the record. "I'm producing two albums this month, and finishing them," White wrote. "One of them is mine."
The Vault, Third Man's exclusive fan club subscription service, released a limited-edition version of the album on blue-and-white vinyl. It was packaged with a 40-page hardcover book, a fold-out poster, a National Archives photo that appears throughout the album art, and a
7-inch
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...
featuring demo versions of two songs recorded in Mexico, "Alone in My Home" and "Entitlement", the finished versions of which appear on the album. The "Ultra LP" version is mastered by
Bob Ludwig
Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...
without compression directly from the analog master tape, has some different mixes from the CD/digital version, has a flattened edge, and contains hidden tracks that are pressed into the vinyl underneath the inner label on each side of the record, which were cut to be played at 78 and 45 RPM, respectively, making this possibly the first three-speed record. Side one has a glossy finish, is cut to play from near the label to the outer edge, and ends in a lock groove. Side two has a matte finish, a song ("Just One Drink") that has two different intros depending on where the needle is dropped, another lock groove at the end of the side, and a hand-etched hologram of an angel (by Tristan Duke of Infinity Light Science) which appears in the dead wax at a certain angle to the light when it's being played. It also includes a download card for the songs on the album.
Songs
Songs on the album were inspired, in part, by short stories and plays written by White when he was 19 years old. He found the writings in his attic and reworked them into new lyrics. ""Some of it's garbage, and I sort of laughed while I was reading it," he explained to ''Rolling Stone''. "I was going to throw away a bunch of it, but I was just coming up with new styles of attacking songwriting for the album."
In April, a video of the instrumental song "High Ball Stepper" was released as a teaser for the album. "Lazaretto", the title track, was confirmed as the album's first single. White explained the song's meaning to
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
: "This was a rhyme about the braggadocio of some hip-hop lyrics — the bragging about oneself in hip-hop music. The character who's singing this song is bragging about himself, but he's actually bragging about real things he's actually accomplished and real things that he actually does, not imaginary things or things he would like to do."
The song "Just One Drink" premiered in May.
Critical reception
''Lazaretto'' was widely acclaimed by contemporary music critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 80, based on 46 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
''s Stephen M. Deusner remarked: "''Lazaretto'' makes all of his other projects sound a bit scrawny by comparison. It’s the densest, fullest, craziest, and most indulgent that White has sounded".
Phil Hebblethwaite of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' described it as "a varied album that lacks any monster riffs like the ones White used to write for The White Stripes, but includes enough intrigue, originality and plain weirdness to delight and, in some places, appal."
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' wrote: "On the surface, ''Lazaretto'' seems to be the work of someone who's furiously angry at everything from "children today"
..to God", but because the album "possesses both a sense of humour" and "a sense of perspective", that makes the album "a rather more complicated business than it first appears."
Randall Roberts of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' described the album as "lyrically and musically challenging and filled with many fresh avenues of exploration, even as it nods to key tones and ideas from throughout the history of pre-rap American music."
Jason Pettigrew of ''
Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' called it "more jubilant, unbridled and manic" than ''Blunderbuss'', and that "''Lazaretto'' finds him simultaneously unbridled as a player, yet meticulous as both mad scientist and personal diarist."
At ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', Jerry Shriver found the release to be "highly-charged, wonderfully weird and typically eclectic treasure chest of tunes that rank with his best."
David Fricke
David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...
of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' noted how White's craftsmanship on the album comes "with a decisive attention to contour, color scheme and cagey, durable detail."
At ''
The Oakland Press ''The Oakland Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Oakland County, Michigan with headquarters in Troy. It is owned by 21st Century Media, with which its parent company merged in 2013 after filing for bankruptcy. The local historical society t ...
'',
Gary Graff
Gary Graff (born 1960) is an American music journalist and author.
Biography
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Graff attended Taylor Allderdice High School where he wrote for school newspaper ''The Taylor Allderdice Foreword''.
He receiv ...
illustrated how White "is, characteristically, more of a shape-shifter, engaging in gleeful sonic alchemy throughout its 11 tracks as he stirs together a dizzying array of influences, from garagey psychedelia to earthy Americana."
Commercial performance
''Lazaretto'' debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 138,000 copies in its first week. The vinyl LP sold 40,000 copies, which set the record for the most vinyl sales in one week for an album since
Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
began tracking sales in 1991; the album held the record for seven years before it was broken by
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's ''
Evermore'' in May 2021. Vinyl LP sales of ''Lazaretto'' during week one nearly matched the number of CDs sold, at 28.9 percent and 30 percent, respectively. Downloads were 41.1 percent of total first week sales.
With 87,000 vinyl copies shifted throughout the year, it was not only the year's top-selling vinyl LP in the US, but also the top-selling vinyl LP for any calendar year since SoundScan started tracking sales.
As of December 2014, ''Lazaretto'' has sold 325,000 copies in the United States.
[
In 2014, it was awarded a double gold certification from the ]Independent Music Companies Association
The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), originally the Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association, is a non-profit trade association established in 2000 to help European independent record labels represent their agenda a ...
, which indicated sales of at least 150,000 copies throughout Europe.
Accolades
At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive time ...
, the album was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. H ...
. The track "Lazaretto" was nominated for Best Rock Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...
and won Best Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...
.
Track listing
Notes
* "Three Women" is based on the song "Three Women Blues" by Blind Willie McTell
Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a Piedmont blues and ragtime singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont b ...
.
* "Alone in my Home" has a slightly longer intro on vinyl.
* "Just One Drink" has two different intros, depending on where the needle is dropped, on vinyl. The electric intro is 2:37 and the acoustic intro is 2:40.
Personnel
Personnel adapted from ''Lazaretto'' liner notes.
*Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...
– lead vocals (except track 5), electric guitar (tracks 2, 4, 5, 6, 9), acoustic guitar (tracks 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11), piano (tracks 1 and 11), maracas (track 7), shaker (track 7), percussion (track 9)
Additional musicians
*Ruby Amanfu
A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...
– shaker (track 10), tambourine (track 5), backing vocals (tracks 4, 5, 6, 9, 10)
*Carla Azar
Carla Azar is an American drummer from Huntsville, Alabama and member of the band Autolux. She also plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and sings.
Azar played drums on Jack White's albums '' Blunderbuss'', ''Lazaretto'', and '' Boarding Hous ...
– drums (tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 10), timpani (track 4)
*Maggie Björklund – acoustic guitar (track 6), pedal steel guitar (tracks 3, 5, 10)
*Ben Blackwell
Benjamin Jesse Blackwell (born June 12, 1982) is the creator and director of Cass Records, one of two drummers in the Detroit-based rock band The Dirtbombs, a music writer, and a vinyl record collector. He's a co-founder and minority owner at T ...
– drums (tracks 7, 8)
*Timbre – harp (tracks 7, 8, 9, 10)
* Bryn Davies – upright bass (tracks 4, 9)
*Dominic Davis – bass guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7), bass VI (track 7), upright bass (track 9)
*Doc – electric guitar, B3 Organ, (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Olivia Jean
Olivia Jean Markel White (born February 23, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She is known as the lead singer and guitarist of the all-female " garage goth" rock band the Black Belles.
Early life
Jean was ra ...
– African drum (track 4), backing vocals (track 9)
* Daru Jones – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4)
*Fats Kaplin
Fats Kaplin is an American musician, born in New York City. He is best known as a fiddler. He also plays guitar, button accordion, banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, an Arab oud, and a Turkish cümbüş, among others. He has worked with artists such a ...
– fiddle (tracks 2, 4, 9), mandolin (tracks 7, 9), pedal steel guitar (tracks 1, 8)
*Patrick Keeler
James Patrick Keeler is an American rock music drummer from Cincinnati, who is best known for playing in The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs, and The Afghan Whigs. He plays with both traditional and matched grips.
Recording career
Keeler has play ...
– drums (track 9)
*Ikey Owens
iKey, LTD, also known as iKey Industrial Peripherals, is an Austin, Texas-based manufacturer of rugged computer keyboards, mice and other peripherals. The company was founded in 1989 and currently works with several Fortune 500 companies. The comp ...
– B3 Organ (tracks 1, 4), keyboards (track 1), Moog Synthesizer (track 2), piano (tracks 7, 8), Rhodes (track 4)
*Catherine Popper
Catherine Popper (born December 28, 1973) is an American bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. She is best known for her work with Jesse Malin, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Jack White. Popper is also a member of ...
– bass guitar (tracks 3, 5, 6, 10)
* Lillie Mae Rische – fiddle (tracks 3, 5, 6, 10), mandolin (track 10), backing vocals (tracks 3, 7)
*Brooke Waggoner
Brooke Waggoner (born May 30, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana, who resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Early life
Waggoner was born in Houston, Texas, to Lewis Earl and Kris Allyn (Kulcke) Waggoner. She comes fro ...
– B3 Organ (tracks 4, 9), clavinet (track 9), Moog Synthesizer (track 4), piano (tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 10)
* Cory Younts – harmonica (track 1), Korg Synthesizer (track 2), mandolin (tracks 1, 8), piano (track 4), shaker (track 7), backing vocals (tracks 1, 7, 8)
Technical personnel
*Jack White - layout, design, mixing, production, composition
*Bob Ludwig
Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...
– mastering
*Joshua V. Smith – assistant, engineering, mixing, backing vocals (track 6)
*Lars Fox
Grotus, stylized as G̈r̈oẗus̈, was an industrial rock band from San Francisco, active from 1989 to 1996. Their unique sound incorporated sampled ethnic instruments, two drummers, two bassists, and featured angry but humorous lyrics.
Biogr ...
– editing
*Mindy Watts – assistant
*Blind Willie McTell – composer
*F.C. Gundlach – back cover photo
*Lewis Hine – back cover, images
*Mary Ellen Matthews – photography
*Jo McCaughey – photography
*Ian Montone – management
*Ryon Nishimori – design, layout
*Vance Powell – engineering
*Nathanio Strimpopulos – design, layout
*Trent Thibodeaux – design, layout
*Elfred Tseng – images
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2014
References
External links
''Lazaretto''
at Third Man Records
Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, and Soho, London—with ...
{{Authority control
2014 albums
Albums produced by Jack White
Columbia Records albums
Jack White albums
Third Man Records albums
XL Recordings albums