The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers Review

The Raconteurs

The Inside Pulse:
I’ve seen some reviews on this record already, and people seem pretty happy about it. Apparently, there’s this tiny backlash against Jack White doing more White Stripes material. That last album didn’t really get it done, eh? Well, the thing is, Jack White is an indie musician living it big, and sometimes he’s going to do weird stuff. Sometimes, he’s going to do really, really normal stuff, like this record, put together by his neightbor Brenden Benson and the rhythm section from the Greenhorns. People will like this record, and it makes sense. It’s the most accessible album Jack White has ever been a part of. It’s equal parts U2 and Led Zepplin, and that’s a really easy combination to enjoy. It’s just that it seems like Jack and Brenden aren’t exactly moving forward artistically, and I have a problem with that because I liked where both of them were heading before this thing came around.

Positives:
It’s a pretty good party record. There’s nothing here that anyone can really complain about. It’s four very talented musicians doing perfectly acceptable music. They go a few cool places, like on “Intimate Secretary” and it’s fun narrative, and the 60’s slice “Steady, As She Goes”, but it’s rare on this one.

Negatives:
It’s all just sort of been done, you know? This doesn’t at all sound like a mix between the sounds of the White Stripes and Brenden Bensen and the Greenhorns. This is something else that never matches up the parts completely. Yes, it’s a cohesive band and it’s all going to sound the same because they’re going for a certain sound. I just don’t particularly enjoy it, is all.

Cross-breed:
The band itself is a cross breed, but as I said, it doesn’t really do any of them justice. Stick with the U2 and Zepplin combo

Reason To Buy:
Curiosity, I guess. It’s not bad or anything, but those expecting all of these parts to congeal and become some sort of super band are going to be pretty disappointed. It’s a quality, B+ album, and if this was some new band from Tennessee or somewhere then I’d probably enjoy it a lot more than I do. And I know that’s unfair, but that’s music journalism for you.