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Jack White's second solo album, "Lazaretto," is out June 10.

(Columbia Records)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Jack White seems to be having a lot more fun lately.

Don't get me wrong. White's work with The White Stripes ranks as some of the most spectacular rock music of the past 25 years. Even his side projects, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, made 90 percent of their contemporaries pale by comparison.

Jack White - "Lazaretto"

Yet, now that he's all by his lonesome, White is clearly at his most unhinged. You can just picture him sitting inside his Third Man Records offices in Nashville, cooking up ideas without any concern of what anyone others think; a formula that produces an abundance of wile wonders on White's new album "Lazaretto."

On 2012's "Blunderbuss," White seamlessly weaved his way in and out of blues, garage rock, country and folk. If there was one criticism of White's solo debut, it was the lack of blistering guitar work from one of the world's greatest guitarists under the age of 40.

That's not a problem on "Lazaretto." The album opens with the stunning "Three Women," a frenetic blues anthem that comes alive with a full band and White's sultry lyrics. "I got three women – red, blonde and brunette," White sings before letting proclaiming, "It took a digital photograph to pick which one I like."

And just when you think the track is over, White riffs away on his electric guitar. It's his way of telling us he can do whatever he likes, for better or worse. And it's almost always for the better.

Next up, White dives into the thick guitar sounds of the album's powerful title track and the epic instrumental "High Ball Stepper." Both songs rival, if not out-due the high points of "Blunderbuss." As a whole, "Lazaretto" is far less cohesive than its predecessor, but it feels more fulfilling.

White goes into full folk-mode on songs like "Temporary Ground" and "Would You Fight for My Love?," which radiate with a vulnerability we've rarely seen from White. His songwriting reaches its peak on the fitting closer "Want and Able," which features the delicate chorus, "Who is the who, telling who what to do?"

If there is something to nitpick on "Lazaretto" it may be the jarring nature of its sequencing. The 11 songs jump around in style, but wanes a bit after the halfway point. Still, the excellent melody of "Alone in My Home" should be enough to hold you over.

White quickly kicks things back into gear with the album's most entertaining track "That Black Bat Licorice." White and his band showcase everything in their arsenal, from sharp guitar solos and drum beats to orchestral arrangements and a violin solo for the ages. You'd be hard pressed to find anything else like it in contemporary music. Believe me, I've tried. Grade: A-