Executive Editor, Music

Jack White's four solo albums in the years following the White Stripes' breakup are stylistic explorations that reveal multiple other sides of his musicianship, veering into R&B and blues and experimental styles far removed from the straight-up, blazing rock 'n' roll he recorded with the band that put him on the map. Those albums are all cool and often great, but it's hard to deny that while his fans love, respect and appreciate them — along with side projects like the Raconteurs and Dead Weather — there's a secret wish that he'd just put together a little rock band, plugged in, cranked up the volume and let loose.

Well, that’s exactly what he did with his fiery new album, “No Name,” and he did that and more over the course of a 90-minute set that shook the floor of the intimate, 800-capacity White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, New Jersey, just across the Hudson from Manhattan. With only drummer Patrick Keller, bassist Dominic Davis and keyboardist Bobby Emmett in tow, he stormed through most of the new album and a Muddy Waters cover before delving into White Stripes classics the rest of the night.

There was no blue hair or elaborate costumes or multiple musicians — he wore a black jacket (removed mid-show) and a black T-shirt, and his hair was back to its natural, wavy, center-parted black hair. The show technically had an 18-song set list, but he called a lot of audibles, leading the band on short jams and dramatic finales with a wave of his hand or a nudge of his guitar neck; Emmett’s roaring Hammond B-3 organ provided a sturdy counterbalance to White’s thundering power chords. He played a lot of slide guitar — always on a beautiful old hollow-body — and led the audience through several sing-alongs and chatted a lot, though the only words most of us could understand were usually “Jersey!” and “Rock and roll!”