The Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely

Artist: The Raconteurs

Title: Consolers Of The Lonely

Label: Warner Bros.

Rating: 6.5/10

Best cuts:
“Consoler Of The Lonely” – A stiff kicking rock song made all the better by Brendan Benson’s brilliant vocals.
“Salute Your Solution” – Jack White rips off verses as if he were marching into a blitzkrieg. This is the foundation southern rock was built on.
“You Don’t Understand” – A beautiful melody that soars beyond what you’d ever expect from Jack White.

The rest:
“Old Enough” – It seems odd to hear a bunch of rock ‘n’ rollers doing something that sounds like it belongs on a Corrs album.
“The Switch and the Spur” – If Willie Nelson were still young this might be a song that he’d have done.
“Top Yourself” – Sounds like a Led Zeppelin B-side.
“Rich Kid Blues” – Benson and the boys sure wear their idols, The Who, on their sleeves.
“Carolina Drama” – This blues track is more White Stripes than Raconteurs.

Finally:
Diversity is the spice of life. Right? When it comes to a full-blown album that ends up sounding different on more than half the songs its not really diversity–it’s more like a lack of cohesion. The Raconteurs are good but in order to be great they’ve got to be consistent.