How many rock stars does it take to make a supergroup? Well, all The Raconteurs really need is one: Singer-guitarist Jack White.
He’s the reason these guys are a buzz band. And the reason you might hear this disc on the radio, watch the video on TV or see them on the cover of your music mag of choice. But to his credit, he’s only part of the reason to check out Broken Boy Soldiers. You see, The Raconteurs — which also stars power-pop singer-guitarist Brendan Benson and the rhythm section of Cincinnati garage-punks The Greenhornes — are more than just some White Stripes side-project based around a colour scheme and some arbitrary musical rules. In fact, they’re the the exact opposite. This is the sound of White and co. cutting loose, letting their hair down and kicking out the jams on a set of high-energy power-pop and classic arena-rock.
And I do mean classic; the 10 tracks on this fat-free 34-minute disc crib from the cream of the retro-rock crop. Hands packs the midtempo power-chord swagger of Bad Company. Steady As She Goes paraphrases the bottom half of Joe Jackson’s Is She Really Going Out With Him? The stoner-rock title cut boogies along to a Black Sabbathy bassline, Middle Eastern guitar swirls and Jack’s Robert Plant howl. Toss in a K-Tel collection of other influences — everything from Yes and The Beatles to The Kinks and Deep Purple — along with tons of duelling vocals from co-writers Benson and White, and you’ve got a disc that delivers an entertainingly nostalgic wallop. And one that succeeds chiefly by not taking itself too seriously. I’d call that pretty damn super, no matter who’s in the group.
