Album Review #6: The Raconteurs

So I'm back from a bit of a blogging hiatus, after trips to San Diego and Austin in the last 10 days. And judging from the mounds and mounds of fan mail ("Josh, please, start blogging again! How I miss your nonsensical and unfocused drivel!"), I figured now's as good a time as any.

The latter of my two recent expeditions can be blamed on my first visit to the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Whoa. Eight stages, 130-odd bands, six bazillion people. Acts varied quite a bit: from John Fogerty to N.E.R.D, from Foo Fighters to Patty Griffin. But one group clearly stood above the rest to me, just as I expected they would.

(seamless segue to album review)

Consolers of the Lonely (2008), by The Raconteurs

I nabbed this album about three weeks ago after hearing them on Pandora and immediately was totally blown away. These guys are good. But after seeing them from about 46 feet away at ACL, I have come to one conclusion:

Jack White is a bad-ass.

Yep, the pallid male half of the White Stripes has launched The Raconteurs (or The Saboteurs to the Aussies. No kidding.) to the cusp of stardom since the band's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, in '06. White splits the singing (and guitaring) duties with Brendan Benson. Benson's voice is much more refined, and White provides his usual raw and unfocused half-yelling/half-singing that has grown so popular throughout the decade. The two really balance each other out well. Bassist Jack Lawrence, complete with giant black-rimmed glasses, and Patrick Keeler on percussion (both from The Greenhornes) round out the quartet.

Many tracks do clearly show that White Stripes' influence that punches you in the face, in particular the first two tracks, "Consoler of the Lonely" and "Salute Your Solution" (the single you may have heard on NFL on FOX promos).

But (as I've preached in other reviews) the variation on this album makes it great. Jack White throws in a little piano on track 3, "You Don't Understand Me", which by the way also has great lyrics. The distorted voice and keyboard that dominate "Hold Up" rocks, too. (That just might have been the best part of their show at ACL.)

The album is just a tad top-heavy. After "Many Shades of Black", it fades into a slight dry spell until the Dylan-esque closer, "Carolina Drama".

But if you ever get a chance, see The Raconteurs live. If you can't do that, then just go buy Consolers of the Lonely and tell me I'm wrong. Or just check out their video for "Salute Your Solution".



Grade: A-