The man in black and white and red is back. Not only is he revered, but he's one of the few rock stars period to emerge in the 21st Century, so it's hardly surprising that Jack White's first solo record has captured the lion's share of record-release attention this week. It's also gotten more than a few people thinking back to The White Stripes, as the blues-punk of Blunderbuss (a Lemony Snicket-y title that seems to fit this Tim Burton-movie-ready fella to a t) has more to do with that still iconic band than with White's more recent endeavours, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.

The lead-up to its release has been considerable: SXSW, two songs played with two different backing bands on SNL, and two music videos, including the AG Rojas-directed apocalyptic-kids-gone-wild clip for "Sixteen Saltines".  And now that it's out, with a current 84 from the fine folks at Metacritic, it's safe to say the pundits are (mostly) all worked up over Blunderbuss. Here's a sampling of what they've had to say:

Billboard: "Blunderbuss" is familiar enough to please the fan base, adventurous enough to forge a new path ahead, and satisfying enough to make fans realize anew just how much we've missed Jack's songs.

AV Club: There are at least five songs on Blunderbuss that match the excellence of The White Stripes’ best, and on the whole the album performs the tricky task of updating White’s musical aesthetic without euthanizing its primal nature.

The Guardian: If the songs that aren't about relationships collapsing or Jack White swearing himself off women are to be believed, the fairer sex are basically responsible for every evil in the world, up to and including causing lifeboats to deflate with their high-heeled shoes.

Rolling Stone: Blunderbuss gets stranger and more fascinating the closer you listen. It doesn't give up any of the man's secrets. And make no mistake: That's exactly how Jack White wants it.