What Do You Think?: The Raconteurs

I was completely baffled by how much their debut 'Broken Boy Soldier' was panned. It was on my top ten list for the year's best... and the new album is even better. The Raconteurs bring a lot of personality and charm to their songs. There's a hint of quirk and humor without making the music campy or detracting from the grit in the rock. The songs swagger and strut. And Jack White (even if some people think he's just stealing from Jimi Hendrix) is one of the finest guitarists around.

Sent by robin Hilton | 6:03 PM | 4-3-2008

i've only listened to the album a couple of times so far, but i like it better than the last white stripes album. i love the white stripes, but for some reason that album never clicked for me. i think this one is a lot more rocking and fun.

Sent by aaron | 7:58 PM | 4-3-2008

I think that while it isn't a masterpiece of post 2000 rock it is an excellent pastiche of classic rock references on behalf of Benson and White. i think the album as a whole is worth buying and has some pretty excellent tunes on it, regardless of the fact that it strays very far from Broken Boy Soldiers in sound and magnificence. "Consoler's" being much more "epic" in the feel of it's production values. I feel that the role of front man was better shared in Broken Boy Soldiers where Benson could be better identified as an equal shareholder in that o so important role as frontman, instead in Consolers he can hardly be heard whereas Jack White's "acquired taste" vocal stylings are more prominent in their sophomore album. I haven't been able to put it down since I bought the album but i guess it doesn't help that I'm a huge fan of everything Jack White touches, not to mention that I am also a huge fan of the greenhorns as well.

Sent by Felipe Lobon | 11:15 PM | 4-3-2008

I don't know what it is about the new one, but I just can't get into it. I loved the first one though. Maybe "more of the same but louder" just isn't gonna cut it. I do know a lot of people who absolutely love the new one though. People I trust, too. So, I'm going to give it a few more listens to see how it grows on me.

Sent by Talin | 12:03 AM | 4-4-2008

I agree with Talin. This album strikes me as a louder, more guitar heavy version of the last one. The reason i loved the first was because of the contrasting song styles, Level, together, and especially yellow sun. I don't see that in this album. I can't overlook the fact that white is a brilliant guitarist and deserves all the credit and hype he recieves.

Sent by collin ward | 11:57 AM | 4-4-2008

I think the album is fantastic. It took a couple of listens to really open up, but once it did, it's been on repeat. The songs really sound more developed than the first album (which I also loved.) Seeing them on their last tour and hearing how the Broken Boy songs had evolved - the new album sounds like a furtherance of that evolution.

Great stuff.

Sent by Shapiro | 1:38 PM | 4-4-2008

Not a comment on the Raconteurs (whom I enjoy), but on the latest ASC episode, which includes them. I enjoy this collection of absurd and talented musicians. I suggest Thos, a somewhat prog-rock, somewhat absurdist group I heard in St. Louis, MO. I believe they're from elsewhere in that state. They're particularly good live when all three drop what they're doing and go do a combined drum solo on one set.

Sent by James | 2:45 PM | 4-4-2008

I'm siding with Robin on this one. It may just be because the Raconteurs do well so many stylistic things that I love in my rock/pop music. Basically, I wanted their first album to be the White Stripes squared - more polish, more diversity, more freedom for Jack - and this album delivers on that promise. Plus, White is a bona-fide Guitar God, but he's also been a tease, hinting at this or that jaw-dropping solo but only rarely - on record, that is - delivering. He's unloading a little more here, which I like to see. I'll be catching them on tour without a doubt.

Sent by Josh Corman | 5:01 PM | 4-4-2008

I loved the first album - much more than any White Stripes record, in fact. For me it had many of JW's charms and he beefed up Brendan Benson's presence in a way that really allowed them both to shine. Plus, the songs were tight, catchy, witty and played to a fare-thee-well.

As for the new one...my first impression was: has Jack White hijacked his own band? It seems to share many obsessions with recent White Stripes releases so is less distinct from that material.

However, I am continuing to listen to see if the sprawl of the thing grows on me. It seems like the songs are full of arresting riffs and sounds but not a lot of songwriting, if you can see what I mean. Also, there are moments when I start to wonder when Jack White turns into Jack Black!

Sent by Jeremy Shatan | 5:43 PM | 4-4-2008

Broken Boy Soldiers was, and still is, one of my favorite albums of all time. For what started as a side project, The Raconteurs have really taken off on their own.

While Consolers of the Lonely is a completely different album, it puts itself near the top of my list of favorites for completely different reasons than Broken Boy Soldiers. Consolers is definitely a little more cohesive the Soldiers. The band as a whole has grown, and the new album reflects that. From listening to consolers, it feels like this is no longer a side project for Jack White but an outlet for all the creativity that he has that he can't get out with the White Stripes. While I enjoy the White Stripes, everything on both Raconteurs' CD's is completely different.

The more I listen, the more I am surprised how quickly they finished and got the album out to us. For those of us who sat waiting to hear when the album would come, getting it sooner was definitely better.

Sent by Harrison Hare | 12:30 PM | 4-5-2008

I heard the full album today and, apart from a couple of tracks, though t I could have been listening to a White Stripes record.....the drums particularly sound very "Meg".
That's not necessarily a bad thing but the appeal of Broken Boy Soldiers was that is was different to the Stripes so I was left wondering what the point really was. Perhaps I'll form a different view after a few more listens.

Sent by Terry Plimmer | 3:34 PM | 4-5-2008

I'm liking the second album more than the first, and am thinking I prefer Benson here more than in his solo efforts. The album is just raucous fun ... that said, I've dropped off in listening to it for The Black Keys new album that came out about a week later. For whatever reason, it just seems more on point ... fresher.

Sent by Patrick | 4:42 PM | 4-7-2008

Based solely on the song featured on ASC, I have to say I would give the Raconteurs a "thumbs up." Listening to that song was like being granted access, mid-stream, to a jam session. It transported me to a good place, musically, even though the song was musically conventional (at least compared to much of what was featured in the rest of the show). I might check out the rest of the album.

Sent by Diane | 2:54 PM | 4-8-2008

Fantastic! Consolers of the Lonely is just about as good as it gets!

Upon the first few listens I was a bit disappointed with Benson's contribution. No, "Hands" or "Yellow Sun" but "Many Shades of Black" and "The Switch and the Spur" are growers, as my friend likes to call them. After repeated listens, I find it difficult to pick a favorite song. In a week I've had 4 favorites, "Carolina Drama", "Top Yourself", "Old Enough" & "These Stones will Shout". Tomorrow "Attention" will be my favorite.

This album has some serious legs and I believe will rank among the tops in classic rock for it's broad range, timelessness and the little details that take a close listen to hear.

Sent by Ted | 4:30 PM | 4-8-2008

It's genius. You guys need to listen again.

I will, thanks

bob boilen

Sent by TiaMija | 3:37 PM | 4-9-2008

The new Raconteurs album satisfies deeply. The sound is lush and my baby girl is really into them!

Sent by adam and rachel | 9:55 AM | 4-12-2008

I am really enjoying "Consolers Of The Lonely". It keeps the feel of Broken Boy Soldiers while providing a fuller, more produced and developed sound this go-round. I like the raw rock/blues sound that White has mixed with the rock/pop vocal style and sensibilities that Benson brings to the table. I've followed The Greenhornes a bit from a selection played on Little Steven's Underground Garage. The raw/live/garage-style suits me. Good stuff. Maybe I'll bump into Jack White around town and tell him so...

Sent by Michael in Nashville, TN | 9:33 PM | 4-12-2008

My love for The White Stripes always had me viewing The Raconteurs as "The Other Woman", with Jack cheating on Meg, so to speak, in between albums. "Broken Boy Soldiers" was alright in my book, but not a replacement for, say, "White Blood Cells" in my cd rotation.

This album, however, has surprised me and my expectations of The Raconteurs. They sound like a REAL BAND, and not just a Jack White talent show. It seems the extra limitations (working with three other musicians who also write songs, instead of just one) has helped him develop his talents even more. "Carolina Drama" had me speechless-I'd always appreciated Jack White for his guitar prowess, not his lyric-writing abilities. The surprise shift from acoustic mid-tempo to all-out rock explosion on "These Stones Will Shout" is one of my favorite moments, and entirely due to the wonderful sense of collaboration the album radiates.

Point being, this is a bona-fide solid rock disc that's never boring, a perfect summer driving with the windows down experience.

Sent by Lindsey Wallem | 11:06 AM | 4-17-2008

I'm with Bob. I want to like it, but I find it kind of derivative. They're obviously all well steeped in the English rock of the '60s and '70s, but it's almost campy or "Jack Black-ish" at times. I just can't give myself to it completely.

Sent by Dave | 12:19 PM | 4-19-2008

I never understand derivative as a negative critique of music. It implies that 1) audiences hear music in the chronological order it was created (do kids today hear the White Stripes first or Led Zeppelin? Not my kids.), and 2) that being part of a musical tradition is bad.

The campy cliched part I hear as dedication and exuberance. But, where I think the Raconteurs really shine is live. Bob- you should have them on the concert series.

Sent by tokay | 1:24 AM | 4-20-2008