The Raconteurs
Album:
Broken Boy Soldiers
Forget the denotative definition of raconteur, because now it refers to the Detroit-based Super Group of Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. And we’re not talking “Super Group” in the sense of laughable efforts like Asia or Damn Yankees. We’re talking at least Temple of the Dog status, and maybe just a legendary riff away from Derek and the Dominoes.
Those merely expecting a White Stripes record with a bass player out of Soldiers will be surprised, but almost surely not disappointed. Instead of the Stripes’ trademark Delta Blues and proto-punk influences, Soldiers assimilates Beatle-esque psychedelia (“Call it a Day” ), Baroque pop a la The Kinks (“Intimate Secretary, “Together” ) and Physical Graffiti-era Zeppelin (“Broken Boy Soldier ”), all of which are tied together with a sense of Nuggets’ anti-panache. Though the single, “Steady as She Goes,” is enough to draw an audience, it is ironically outshined to the point of afterthought by the rest of Soldiers. After the initial glee of seeing Jack White next to a guitar with four strings wears off, you’ll find little more than one good song next to nine other great songs; it is here that Jack White fades and John Gillis emerges. It’s about time.
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