Detroit, MI
Jack White didn’t just release a surprise album — he made a stand for rock mystique
Leave it to Jack White to score another victory for vinyl records — but even more important, for the magic of absorbing new music with mystique intact.
In an unannounced move, White’s latest album landed Friday, but only for unknowing customers who happened to be shopping at his Third Man Records stores in Detroit, Nashville and London. There, unobtrusively slipped into checkout bags with any purchase, was a plain-sleeved record package containing a 12-inch labeled simply “No Name.”
There were minimal clues on the first eyeballing of this white vinyl platter that resembled a test pressing. No artist, no title. Side A of the mystery record clearly featured seven tracks, with six on the flip side. If you scrutinized more closely, you could spot the inscriptions “Heaven and Hell” and “Black and Blue” etched into the run-out grooves. That was it.
All very cryptic … until you got yourself to a turntable, dropped the needle and heard the familiar singing voice of White, the Detroit-born rocker who has long championed the value of vinyl.
On a Friday when a devastating technological snafu brought computers around the globe to their knees, White smacked a homer with an old-fashioned analog swing.
We got our copy of “No Name” during a midafternoon visit to Third Man’s Cass Corridor shop in Detroit, and we’re not going to purport to offer an authoritative review from a few quick listens following a long day at the Concert of Colors festival happening nearby. There will be plenty of time to absorb the music this weekend.
But the album is raw and spare, dominated by guitars and drums — ripe for some White Stripes allusions — with the occasional organ and vocal effect the most to stray outside those lines.
There are bits of spiky punk, riff-stamped slabs of rock, a song driven by bluesy slide guitar blossoming into a colorful crescendo, a nod to ’70s glam with divebombing guitars. The last track on Side A features the only real elaborate production effort; the album closer is a dense and simmering drone.
Aside from White, immediately identifiable from his voice and guitar tones, we don’t know who else is featured here, although the count-in that launches Side B certainly sounds like White’s longtime touring drummer, Daru Jones.
Third Man officials were silent about the nature and context of Friday’s release. It’s not clear if the album will get a formal release or even a real title. No track listing has been revealed.
Whatever it is, we’re safe to call it White’s first new record since “Entering Heaven Alive,” which was released two years ago this weekend as part of a two-album salvo that included “Fear of the Dawn” that spring of 2022.
The digital world did play its role Friday: Online, word of the new White album began to circulate organically via Third Man shoppers who’d wound up with a copy of the mystery record. By late afternoon, it had turned into a full-fledged viral moment as record recipients figured out what was up and enthusiastically exchanged info about their lucky get. Music magazines aggregated those social media posts to hop on the buzz.
A segment on Detroit’s WDET-FM, where on-air personality Ryan Patrick Hooper played five of the album’s tracks in a real-time spin of his just-acquired record, quickly took on holy-grail status globally for White fans, who shared a link to the online archive of the public-radio program.
But ultimately, the Internet was a sideshow to the real magic of White’s Friday gambit.
The quiet album rollout wasn’t just a clever, headline-grabbing gimmick. It was a throwback to the days when mystique meant something as a music lover.
Heading to a turntable Friday with little information but tantalizing possibilities offered a pure and spontaneous experience harking back to a bygone era, before ubiquitous digital streaming and carefully calibrated marketing plans commodified the act. This was 1975 with a new Led Zeppelin LP in hand — but in this case minus even an album cover or liner notes to be pored over for meager tidbits of insight into the musical journey set to unfold.
Less-is-more has been White’s approach since his days with the White Stripes a quarter-century ago. Like other clued-in artists before him — from Oscar Wilde to Quentin Tarantino — he has long recognized that art is best created when boundaries and limitations are in place.
Perhaps we’ll learn more about Jack White’s new album in coming days and weeks. Those revelatory nuggets were once part of the enchantment, too. For now, we’ll happily take “No Name” just as it is: a new music offering with a healthy side of intrigue.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
Detroit, MI
Lions place Kerby Joseph on IR, make 2 OL moves for Steelers game
The Detroit Lions have finally placed safety Kerby Joseph on injured reserve, effectively ending the All-Pro defender’s season.
Joseph has been dealing with a knee injury for essentially the entire season, but there was some brief hope he’d be able to return to the field. After suffering a setback during a recent practice, Joseph has been sidelined, and Detroit finally decided to end his season after he had missed the past eight games. Technically, Joseph would be eligible to return to the field if Detroit advances to the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, but that seems unlikely. Joseph’s season ends with 18 tackles in six games and three interceptions.
Additionally, the Lions have made several offensive moves to address current injuries. Notably, they have activated guard Christian Mahogany, who has been on injured reserve for six weeks after suffering a leg fracture against the Vikings. It’s quite possible he’ll return to his starting position at left guard, although coach Dan Campbell offered some caution on Friday.
“Yesterday, I thought he looked pretty good. Wasn’t perfect, but I thought he looked pretty good,” Campbell said. “And some of it’s going to be, I know he’s a little sore today, and how he feels in today’s practice. That’s what a lot of it’s going to come down to.”
The Lions have also elevated offensive lineman Kingsley Eguakun from the practice squad. That could be a bad sign for the availability of starting center Graham Glasgow. He’s been dealing with a knee injury that caused him to miss two practices this week and landed him with a questionable designation. The Lions now have several options at center, including Eguakun, Trystan Colon (who is dealing with a wrist injury of his own), and Michael Niese. Campbell said the team has been exploring all options in practice this week.
“We’ve obviously worked Colon because he’s been there. I know he’s got the wrist, but he was out there working with it yesterday,” Campbell said. “Just trying to get Graham off his feet. But I mean, we’ve worked Niese, we’ve worked Kingsley. We’ve kind of just hit all around, and we’re rolling the guards, too. So, it’s really been a little bit of a revolving door trying to get a number of guys ready because there’s a lot of flex going into this game right now.”
Lastly, the Lions also elevated tight end Giovanni Ricci from the practice squad for the second straight week as the Lions continue to be short-handed at tight end in the wake of injuries to Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright.
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions running backs open up about life on and off the field
Detroit, MI
Detroit Fire Department brings Christmas joy to family who lost everything in house fire
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Christmas came early for a Detroit family of 10 after the Detroit Fire Department surprised them with a truck full of gifts, nearly a year after they lost their home and all belongings in a devastating fire.
On Jan. 6, Raychelle Womack and her family were living in their home on Santa Rosa Drive near Fullerton Street when it caught fire. All their possessions were destroyed in the blaze.
Watch Demetrios Sanders’ video report below:
Family’s Christmas saved after fire
“You try buying everything for a new baby and then you lose it all, on top of the other seven kids that you’ve got — that’s everything,” Womack said.
As the family continued recovering from the fire, questions remained about what Christmas could look like this year.
“Whatever we could make happen, that’s what we’re going to make happen,” Womack said.
WXYZ
That worry disappeared when the Detroit Fire Department and community partners visited the family’s new east side home with a truck full of Christmas gifts.
“To lose everything and then slowly but surely gain everything, it means a lot,” Womack said.
This marks the fourth year the Detroit Fire Department has brought Christmas cheer to families in need during the holidays.
WXYZ
“We know people lose everything in these fires, so if we can do anything to make their lives better, to make their lives easier, especially around the holiday season, we’re willing to do it,” said Chuck Simms, executive fire commissioner with the Detroit Fire Department.
Simms said the effort is driven by donations and brings joy not only to the families impacted but also to the first responders who participate.
“It’s just a great thing and nice thing for us to do,” Simms said.
WXYZ
With a Christmas tree now surrounded by gifts, Womack’s children are definitely looking forward to Christmas.
“It was nice and we appreciate it,” one child said.
WXYZ
For Womack, only one challenge remains.
“Now it’s making sure everything (gifts) stays closed until Christmas,” Womack said.
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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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