Jack White is a gifted guitarist obsessed with elusive morsels of rock’s past -- archeological evidence of the music’s soul. Having been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, Wanda Jackson is officially a living, yodeling piece of history. Almost 40 years (and a good 18 inches) separate them. Yet while the statuesque guitarist stands literally heads and shoulders above the diminutive singer, onstage Sunday at the El Rey, the pair was evenly matched.

The show launched "The Party Ain’t Over," Jackson’s new album. On the White-produced disc, the 73-year-old sometime country and gospel singer returns to the musical form that Elvis Presley, her then-boyfriend, first nudged her toward, in the mid-'50s: rockabilly. On Sunday, White -- known for his bands the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather -- proved to be a skilled taskmaster.

He led an 11-piece band of youngish talents, including drummer Joey Waronker, bassist Olivia Jean and pedal steel player Rich Gilbert, through rollicking versions of Jackson’s old hits and new tunes. The septuagenarian singer held forth center stage, relishing her comeback with a charming mix of feisty come-on and self-confessed senior moments.