29. Boarding House Reach- Jack White (2018)

I know, I know, I know. This is easily White’s most divisive record. Most people see it as the record where he officially jumped the shark and becomes almost a parody of himself. But hear me out on this. Boarding House Reach is White at his most experimental and most free. He broke free of any restrictions he put on himself whether it be in regards to songwriting or recording technology and he actually put himself out there. Sure it isn’t 2001’s White Blood Cells or 2003’s Elephant, but of course it isn’t. Those records were 17 and 15 years old when Boarding House Reach was released. On this record we see a grown up Jack White unafraid to take some risks and try new things, even when it has the potential to land on it’s face (it never does). He leans all in on the concept with only “Over and Over” standing as the sort of true throwback guitar stomper that would have sounded just as at home on an album like Icky Thump as it does here. Boarding House Reach is White’s experimental album and it frequently shows why he’s still one of the most interesting musicians in rock and roll, plus its a ton of fun.