Jack White, ‘Blunderbuss’ – Top Albums of 2012

There was a lot of auteur-cred on the line for Jack White coming into his career as a solo artist, as well as a few whispers asking if he could do it alone. He answered that call with rapscallion aplomb. The effortlessly idiosyncratic onetime White Stripes frontman released his first solo record in April 2012: 'Blunderbuss,' as the title implies, is a gunpowdered anachronism, all traditional formats and explosive delivery.

The Detroit-born Nashville resident's record was received with fanfare and popular reception, debuting at No. 1. The insane video for ‘Sixteen Saltines’ added to the madness. The record can go gentle as well, with the ballad 'Love Interruption' quaking and yearning, and the title track channeling some Neil Young introspection. With 'Blunderbuss,' White may have cemented his position as the rock star and weirdo of his generation.