The Musiquarium

Genres: Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Punk Blues, Garage Rock Revival

The Musiquarium’s Frozen Charlotte Review Score: 10 out of 10

Following Jack White’s triumphant 2024 surprise album No Name, which saw a return to the raw garage sound of The White Stripes, Frozen Charlotte gives fans another batch of hard-rocking blues, with no ballads or acoustic tracks to slow it down — Frozen Charlotte is probably also Jack White’s bluesiest album since The White Stripe’s 2000 album, De Stijl.

G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs and Derecho Demonico were released as singles and are the first two tracks on the album, informing listeners of exactly what they’re in store for, with plenty of bluesy riffing and guitar acrobatics from one of the century’s greatest guitar heroes — it feels like being transported back to the early 2000s, when garage rock reigned supreme, though nothing here sounds stale or phoned-in. Instead, Jack White has mastered his craft and feels like he’s just letting loose and having fun.

There’s Nobody There has a slinky riff that will keep you on your toes, never letting go of your attention. Jack White sounds vicious as ever on Raising the Grain.  Songs like You’ll Never Fix Me, All Alone Again and She’s in a Frenzy seem to address Jack White’s recent divorce from fellow musician Olivia Jean (his third divorce yet), taking the pain and frustrations of falling out of love and crafting something great out of it.

Dollar Bill indulges in slide guitars and very much feels like it could have come from De Stijl. The frantic I Can’t Believe What I’m Hearing is a whole lotta fun. Thick as Thieves has a kinetic riff. Making Contact seems to criticize the modern music industry and the shameless commodifying of art. The closer, Neighbor Blues, is an explosive finale with some fiery soloing.

The songs on Frozen Charlotte may not be quite as immediately memorable as the songs on No Name, but they are definitely as enjoyable and maybe even tighter than those songs were — the addition of plenty of hammond organ also gives the songs some extra pizzazz; Jack White is also in peak form here, with some of the best guitar playing of his career.

Frozen Charlotte may be ice cold, but this album is red hot.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Jack White on Discogs.

Back to the 2026 Album Reviews Guide or the Jack White Album Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard