Are You Steady Now4 Out Of 5 Stars
Pegging "Broken Boy Soldiers" as a Jack White album would be depriving yourself of some really rocking power-pop. Those other guys - Vocalist Brendan Benson, drummer Patrick Keeler and bassist Jack Lawrence - aren't household name enough to really call this a super-group, but they are old buddies. In fact, only Benson has had what one calls any serious success as a writer performer prior to this, and mainly as a power-popper with a serious fetish for classicist 60's pop. Which is what makes "Broken Boy Soldiers" and The Raconteurs so interesting; it indulges White in some cool 60's psychedelic pop (the title song) as well as shakes Benson loose from his usual mode (especially on the initial single, "Steady As She Goes").
What BBS also does is show what White can do when expanded out from the confines of The White Stripes. The Raconteurs have some serious muscle, and they flex it well. They also are smart enough to to overwork the issue, as the album clocks in at barely a half hour and 10 songs total. It's also cool to note just how well Benson and White blend as singers, making some of the pop harmonies here positively charming. On the other hand, given the way White bent the landscape for The White Stripes, you won't hear anything earth-shattering on BBS. (Given how radically the follow-up, "Consolers of The Lonely" would veer towards more raucous guitar rock, the traditionalism of "Broken Boy Soldiers" is even more surprising for its normalcy.) What you get is a solidly created power-pop rocker that holds its own against all of White's over projects, as well as gives Benson a little more street cred.
No comments:
Post a Comment