Review: Jack White Returns With ‘Frozen Charlotte’ – Melt Your Face Off Rock! Oh, Yes!

Perhaps lost in the hubbub of the Stones’ new release Foreign Tongues last Friday, guitar god Jack White released his 7th studio album Frozen Charlotte. 

I slipped out of the B&V labs in between spins of the new Stones this weekend and dashed down to the local indy record store to pick up the midnight blue vinyl version of the LP and damn, am I glad I did. The guitar is so fierce on this record it may cause physical and psychological damage, but in a good way.

It’s hard not to hear Frozen Charlotte, named for an old Victorian doll (based on a poem about a young girl who freezes to death because she doesn’t wear a coat because she wants people to see her pretty dress…I shit you not), as a companion piece to 2024’s superb No Name album.

Jack released that 2024 album in July of that year and then grabbed his band and hit the road. I was lucky enough to see Jack White in KC on that tour. After or perhaps during that tour Jack took his touring band – Patrick Keeler (drums) who was also in the Raconteurs (who I loved, “Carolina Drama” indeed!), Dominic Davis (bass), and Bobby Emmett (keyboards) – straight back into the studio to record Frozen Charlotte. The chemistry was there, why not keep rolling.

The first two singles from the album, “G.O.D. And The Broken Ribs,” and “Derecho Demonico,” were released in early June this year prior to Jack’s appearance with Jack Black on SNL. Jack played both of the new tracks on the show and it was incendiary.

At the time I wasn’t sure if the two new songs (reviewed at the link above) were one-off (or in this case two-off) singles or the harbinger of an impending album. Thankfully it was the latter!

I love those two songs and strangely enough the Rock Chick came across video of Jack performing those tracks live at Coachella this year and she actually liked the live versions better which NEVER happens with her. Tells you how great White is live.

The two new tracks kick off the new album. I have to admit to you, after the first spin of the whole album I came away with the feeling that the first half was really heavy, hard rock and that the latter part of the album was where things loosened up. After repeated spins, I’m not so sure about that.

One thing is clear, Jack is taking no prisoners on guitar. There are no acoustic numbers, no ballads here. It’s all straight up raucous rawk or blues rock, if you will. On No Name I believe I compared Jack to Jeff Beck and I considered comparing him to Tony Iommi on this record, it’s that heavy, but really Jack White is his own guitar beast… there is no comparison for him.

After those first two, great songs, we get the start stop guitar of “There’s Nobody There,” and it’s another great track. “I’m sending the smoke signals but there’s nobody there…” indeed. And then he sings “If you know me, then you’ll never love me.” Who hasn’t felt like that.

“Raising The Grain” and “You’ll Never Fix Me” is where Jack gets really heavy. Many a string was bent in the playing of these hard rockers. On “Grain” his vocals are slightly distorted as well and it gives the track an unhinged quality. “Fix Me” pounds at you like an insistent knock on the door.

While I considered the first half the heavier half, I feel a lot of groove in the track “Nobody Knows” and it might be my favorite track. “Dollar Bill” was the third single from the album and it’s a nice tight, punky blues rocker.

There are so many highlights, especially on the back half of the record. “I Can’t Believe What I’m Hearing” is a classic White Stripes-type rocker. “Thick As Thieves” bounces and slithers around the speakers. “Alone Again” creeps and crawls over your brain, it’s got a riff Jimmy Page would envy.

The last stretch on the record is some of the album’s best. “She’s In A Frenzy” is just good ol’ fashion fun rock n roll. “She’s in a frenzy and I envy, to live that free…” Reminds me of a woman I used to know. “Making Contact” marches onto the speakers and has an urgency I wasn’t expecting.

“Neighbor Blues” ends the album on a spidery blues riff from White that I just love. It’s really the truest blues song on the album. The lyrics sound like my neighbors, “Neighbors, never have nothing good to say.”

Jack White once again manages to stun and thrill with his guitar gymnastics on this record. He is truly one of the current “great men” of rock n roll. He is carrying the torch once carried by Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Page, and Eddie Van Halen. Although while all of those players “were of their time” Jack is almost a throwback to that bluesy sixties era. I can’t quite put my finger on it…

He’s found a real fabulous groove with this current backing band. I can’t wait to see him play this material live. It’s heavy and it’s hard and I found it exhilarating to hear this kind of rock n roll still being played in 2026.

Crank this one and scare those neighbors who you “don’t want to see ’em, not in my backyard…”

Cheers!