It pains me to admit it, but I’m slightly disappointed in the Raconteurs’ second release. Maybe it’s because it turned out to be something other than what I expected and it will eventually grow on me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good rockin’ album. Jack White is a genius, but that’s the thing; I think he overpowers the album with his genius. As one reviewer put it, he’s tripping over himself with all his ideas. But also, I think he’s bulldozing over Brendan Benson. The album is sometimes overbearingly harsh and I would have liked to see more of Benson’s pop sensibility come out, as it did on their first album, Broken Boy Soldiers. Still, the album is a great listen and a worthy purchase. The first two tracks, “Consoler of the Lonely” and “Salute Your Solution”, rock hard. If you mixed the Zeppelin tracks “Traveling Riverside Blues” and “Gallows Pole”, you would get “Top Yourself”. “Attention” starts out with a trudging Sabbath-like riff and then opens up into another good rocker. “Rich Kid Blues” and “These Stones Will Shout” are also good tracks. On the other hand, other tracks like “Five on the Five” and “Hold Up” are far too brash in my opinion and needed a little more Benson to balance White.
Edit: 4.0/5
The album grew on me immensely. The high points are very high and the low points are very low, but it's those high points that make the album very good.
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