More is more: Jack White live in Birmingham

If you’re Jack White and playing a show in a small market a month before your debut solo album is released, here’s how you avoid impatient shouts from the audience to, “Play some White Stripes”: Open with one of the Stripes’ biggest hits, 2001's “Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground.”

And, with the help of a crackling four-piece band, make the song sound wider, deeper and, yes, better than any White Stripes version.

White’s upcoming LP “Blunderbuss” isn’t due until April 24, but the tour preceding it is the fullest realization of his talents yet. It’s the first time he has a proper ensemble at his disposal – and doesn’t have to share the wheel (as in The Raconteurs) or differ to another singer almost entirely (as in Dead Weather).

Hell, White’s fans are undoubtedly relieved he’s a frontman again rather than playing the triangle or running the lights or something for yet another side-project.

Of course, Jack is still going to be Jack.

For White’s March 12 performance at Birmingham, Ala.’s WorkPlay Soundstage, he used a completely different band – all dudes - than the one he played Chattanooga with – all female - two nights before. He also alternated between these combos on his March 3 “Saturday Night Live” appearance.

Before White took the stage, AC/DC, Howlin' Wolf and Johnny Cash tracks blared over the P.A.

After “Dead Leaves,” White, who soon shed his blue Western shirt to reveal a plain black T, dug into “Sixteen Saltines.” The “Blunderbuss” cut evokes early White Stripes: uppercut garage-blues guitar and abstract-yet-direct songwriting.

But with an entire band accompanying him instead of just a drummer, White didn’t have to channel most of his energy into making the performance sonically big enough to sound complete live.

Thus, his guitar playing and singing was more focused and sophisticated. This was true in the acoustic- and Telecaster-powered “Blunderbuss” tunes and dynamic Stripes interpretations, including “Hello, Operator,” “Ball and Biscuit,” “We’re Going To Be Friends” and “Seven Nation Army,” which benefited from curvy pedal steel guitar. A reading of “I Cut Like A Buffalo” exchanged the Dead Weather studio track's dub leanings for bayonet slashes.

Signs throughout the venue emphasized cellphone photos/video and audio recording were strictly prohibited and a zero-tolerance policy would be in effect, but photos from the show, including the one illustrating this story, were available as free downloads at www.jackwhiteiii.com. A be-suited MC explained this was to prevent scraggly YouTube clips from being fans first taste of "Blunderbuss."

White definitely made it a point to physically and musically engage each member of his dapper backing band - which included drums, upright bass, keys and the aforementioned pedal steel - throughout the gig. This came across naturally and smoothly, yet left no guess as to who the star was, underneath Soundstage's glittering chandelier and tall black walls.

After finishing his encore with a sing-along of Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene,” White waved and disappeared through ice-blue stage lights into the night. But his performance made it feel like he’d finally arrived. Again.

The 300-Word Review: Alabama Shakes 'Be Mine'/'You Ain't Alone'

Finally, a “blog band” that delivers on what we read with what is real.

But then, the Alabama Shakes got Internet-famous due to incendiary live performances of their ’60s-style rock ‘n’ soul – not ironic haircuts or studio-Svengali dazzle.

So it’s logical the Shakes’ first vinyl release, the 7-inch single “Be Mine,” is a live cut. Jack White’s Third Man Records released the track, taped at the label’s Nashville facility, on Feb. 14.

After modest applause, “Be Mine” begins with mid-tempo guitar filigree. And then that voice drops in. Brittany Howard might be the most compelling blues-based singer to emerge since White and The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach made the Mississippi Delta cool again at the turn of the century.

On “Be Mine,” Howard shifts naturally from butterfly to bulldog and back. Her performance is so cathartic it’s clear she sings not because she can, but because she has to.

And while Howard is the magic, the Shakes do have chemistry. A few Jimmy Page riffs in “Be Mine” hint guitarist Heath Fogg has more to unfurl. Bassist Zach Cockrell and drummer Steve Johnson know when to keep a pocket firm and went to let it flex, and whoever decided to add Ben Tanner’s vintage keyboards to the band deserves a raise.

Lyrically, “Be Mine,” is sturdy. But if Howard weren’t singing them, with her tornadic tone and conviction, these words wouldn’t blow you away. Auerbach is often similar in this regard. Still, give me honest and soulful over pretentious and wimpy. (The B-side to “Be Mine,” “You Ain’t Alone,” is well-executed Stax balladry.)

“Be Mine” builds to double-time crescendo, with Howard exalting titular couplets as a funnel cloud of cymbals encircles her. And when the in-studio crowd applauds this time, it’s with a lot more oomph.

Notes from the plastic neon safari: 2012 Grammys commentary

The most alluring aspect of Grammy telecasts is getting to see all those image-first artists - who are more akin to a highly-processed consumer good, such as AXE body spray or Doritos, than to John Lennon - in a "live" context.

Yes, I know legit artists like Radiohead, Black Keys or whoever also surface at the Grammys. This year it's the British songbird Adele and the American radio-rock band Foo Fighters. But I'm already familiar with their music. Because it doesn't make my ears want to throw up.

The Grammys are the only time I'll be exposed to the music of Nicki Minaj. And Katy Perry and Chris Brown. It's a bit like going on a wildlife-watching safari...if the jungle were filled with plastic neon animals that occasionally lip-synch.

Here are notes from this year's safari:

8:05 p.m.

Bruce Springsteen sounded good. It's time for him to stop wearing earrings, though.

8:08 p.m.

Judging from the audience-panning shot during Grammy host LL Cool J's prayer for Whitney Houston, who died last night, Los Angeles may face a fake eyelash shortage tomorrow.

8:11 p.m.

Nice working in an "Around the Way Girl" mention there, LL.

8:13 p.m.

Apparently, Bruno Mars broke into Sha Na Na's old stage-clothes wardrobe earlier today.

8:14 p.m.

Those are respectable James Brown dance moves, though.

8:16 p.m.

Wonder if Bruno Mars traded Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland a gram of blow for that megaphone he just used?

8:18 p.m.

By “Chris Brown,” I'm guessing they're not referring to that guy who used to play third base for the Giants in the '80s.

8:19 p.m.

Whoops. Forgot the baseball Chris Brown is dead.

8:22 p.m.

I will run around the block naked if Bonnie Raitt and Alicia Keys bust out Etta James' cover of "Welcome to the Jungle" during this Etta tribute medley.

8:25 p.m.

So far, Lil Wayne's Flavor Flav Halloween costume is the night’s best tribute thus far.

8:29 p.m.

Chris Brown is obviously a huge Michael Jackson fan. Maybe he should cover "Beat It"...or maybe not.

8:33 p.m.

Wow. That Chris Brown performance looked like a dance recital you’d see held at a suburban shopping mall food court.

8:36 p.m.

Bet you Fergie can beat Mark Anthony at basketball.

8:38 p.m.

Never thought I’d ever be sexually aroused by the site of Reba McIntire.

8:40 p.m.

Do you think Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson consumed breath mints before this performance? They're singing pretty close to each other’s faces.

8:45 p.m.

It appears Elton John is the new spokesperson for Burger King. No, it's Pepsi. (Which is pretty much the same thing as being a Burger King spokesperson.)

8:47 p.m.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, The Official Token Rock Band For Every Awards Show...The Foo Fighters. (And I like the Foos.)

8:48 p.m.

Seriously, does the Grammys have contact info for any other rock bands’ booking agents?

8:49 p.m.

Slayer T-shirt alert! Well played, Dave Grohl.

8:51 p.m.

Token Rock Band snark aside, The Foos sound great. This is the best performance thus far tonight.

8:53 p.m.

Can't remember the last time I've seen an inverted pentagram symbol on the Grammys.

8:58 p.m.

Will be interesting to see what new annoying moves Coldplay frontman Chris Martin unveils tonight.

9:00 p.m.

Is there a flash mob going on right now in the middle of Rihanna's performance?

9:01 p.m.

Oh yes, here come the annoying Chris Martin stage moves...

9:03 p.m.

Pretty disappointed Chris Martin neglected to bring that silly spray-painted upright piano of his.

9:03 p.m.

Oh snap, he did bring his silly spray-painted upright piano!

9:04 p.m.

This guy gets to have sex with Gwyneth Paltrow. The universe definitely has a sense of humor.

9:07 p.m.

I couldn't name a musician in Coldplay that is not Chris Martin, even if I had a large caliber shotgun pointed at my head.

9:14 p.m.

Fifty percent percent sure whichever of those two New York Giants players onstage is wearing sunglasses is stoned right now.

9:15 p.m.

Do you think the Grammys asked Dave Grohl to don a jacket to cover up that Satanic pentagram on his Slayer T-shirt?

9:16 p.m.

Awesome acceptance speech from Dave Grohl. Having a beer with him probably would not suck.

9:17 p.m.

If you had to have a beer with either Chris Martin or Adam Levine, which would you pick? I'd have to go with Levine.

9:20 p.m.

Maroon 5's cover of this Beach Boys song reminds me of those hostage video clips that terrorists release to let authorities know the hostages are still alive.

9:23 p.m.

Brian Wilson sounds pretty good tonight, but, man, he always looks so uncomfortable onstage. The aforementioned hostage vibe has permeated this entire Beach Boys segment. Who is holding all these pop bands against their will?

9:25 p.m.

The camera just cut to an audience shot of John Legend grooving to the Beach Boys performance. This is probably the first time ever the Beach Boys have caused a black dude to dance.

9:29 p.m.

Expect lots of pointing-at-the-crowd and an agape mouth from Paul McCartney during his upcoming performance.

9:31 p.m.

LL Cool J seems to be sticking with just one hat for the entire telecast. Pretty shocking.

9:33 p.m.

Joe Walsh is playing guitar with McCartney. They better do "Rocky Mountain Way" or "Funk #49."

9:36 p.m.

Macca breaks out some finger pointing and his mouth is totally agape. Told you!

9:39 p.m.

Vegas odds-makers probably weren't taking bets that this year’s Grammys would include both a Gil Scott-Heron shout-out AND a Slayer T-shirt.

9:40 p.m.

Hey dude in that folk duo Civil Wars: Jack White called. He wants his "Icky Thump" look back.

9:41 p.m.

Hmmm. Taylor Swift seems to have a gotten a "serious artist haircut" earlier today.

9:43 p.m.

Boy, they sure have Taylor Swift's banjo up high in the mix. Ahem.

9:53 p.m.

For time efficiency's sake, they may want to move Adele's chair onto the stage.

9:57 p.m.

Semi-shocked Katy Perry isn't lip-synching. Good for her.

9:59 p.m.

Whoever has tickets behind Jason Aldean has to be pissed. That hat is huge, and definitely view obstructing.

10:09 p.m.

Digging Adele's "Mad Men" hairdo. And it sounds like her vocal cord surgery was super successful.

10:11 p.m.

This "Rolling in the Deep" song is good and all, but we're clearly approaching the threshold of hearing it too many times. Starting to wince every time she unleashes the high big notes when she sings the word “all” during the song's hook.

10:12 p.m.

Adele's performance was the exact 180 opposite of the Katy Perry one, in that the focus is entirely on the music rather than a stylized presentation of impressive breasts.

10:22 p.m.

Glen Campbell is sounding pretty damn good. Was somewhat worried he’d forget where he was and start disrobing onstage, or go on a disjointed tirade about Tanya Tucker or something.

10:23 p.m.

That crowd shot just showed Joe Walsh cutting the rug with some hottie! Twirling is involved. Hot chicks like to boogie to Glen Campbell...Interesting.

10:25 p.m.

Was hoping for an Allman Brothers performance since the Grammys are giving them one of those "Lifetime Achievement" awards. (This award basically means, “You’ve been really awesome for a long time and the people who vote on Grammys were too clueless to recognize this in your artistic prime.”) But no dice on the Allmans appearance. Apparently, there’s no room in this telecast for a 20-minute version of “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”

10:34 p.m.

Tony Bennett can still croon it. Nice. And thank you CBS for the audience shot of Rihanna. She is not sexy as all.

10:36 p.m.

Bon Iver will also be receiving a Grammy for Best Comb-Over.

10:43 p.m.

Wow, I would have played up Hubert Sumlin a little more in this memorial montage. I like Etta James, but without her we wouldn’t have Christina Aguilera. Without Sumlin we wouldn’t have Led Zeppelin.

10:54 p.m.

Please, please Run DMC: Sue Chris Brown immediately.

11:08 p.m.

This Nicki Minaj set design reminds me of the one from Ozzy Osbourne’s "Blizzard of Oz" tour. Or maybe I'm thinking of "Diary of a Madman."

11:12 p.m.

Did that tall goober in Lady Antebellum sell the buttons from his shirt on eBay to raise money for charity or something? Cover yourself up, man - you are not Ritchie Sambora circa-1987!

11:16 p.m.

Adele has really mastered that "Unplugged"-era Eric Clapton graceful Brit/mildly embarrassed Grammy acceptance vibe.

11:20 p.m.

Moments before walking onstage, Diana Ross completed a multi-wig trade with Nicki Minaj.

11:22 p.m.

LL is getting the full-frontal boob-squashing hug from Adele. Ladies Love Cool James!

11:25 p.m.

McCartney is sounding fantastic on this "Long and Winding Road." But his bass player and guitarist look like their pictures should be in the dictionary beside the definition for "studio musicians."

11:30 p.m.

Will be interesting to see if McCartney cuts off this five-lead-guitarist thing during "The End" before it becomes embarrassing. And I think Springsteen practices these eyebrow gestures in the mirror.

11:32 p.m.

McCartney only let this jam go on for four guitar solos too long.

11:40 p.m.

LL Cool J would look cool in a Slayer T-shirt.