The Raconteurs: (CD Review)

The Raconteurs are Jack White of the White Stripes, Brendan Benson, and Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence from the Greenhornes. They formed in 2005 and released their debut album in the spring of 2006 “Broken Boy Soldiers.” All 10 songs from this album were co-written by White and Benson a clear breakaway from their previous work where Jack White was the sole creative force behind the White Stripes and Brendan Benson’s solo career.

Comparison to the White Stripes

Most of the people interested in this album have probably previously been fans of the White Stripes (as I have.) this is going to bring a natural comparison of the two bands. The Raconteurs have a much more fleshed out sound than the White Stripes as one would expect with four members rather than two and with a more technically skilled drummer in place of Meg White. For people with a fetish for the White Stripes stripped down sound this may be a negative for people who were getting a bit tired of those limitations being placed on Jack White’s strong song writing and guitar playing skills this is a huge positive. I place myself more in the latter category and I think I’ve been enjoying this album more than any Stripes album to date.

The Album – “Broken Boy Soldiers”

There are synthesizers in many of the songs and there’s a psychedelic pop feeling to the album in both instrumentation and structure. Both Jack White and Brendan Benson sing lead vocals. There are lots of harmonies throughout the album and their voices complement each others nicely. The album is only 33 minutes long.

Influences

The big influences on this album seem to be from late 60s and early 70s acts. The Beatles and Led Zeppelin are two in particular that jump out to me. The short album length seems to me to be an influence of albums from the 60s time period. The Beatles Revolver for instance is only 35 minutes long and is considered by many rock critics to be the greatest album of all time.

Track by Track