Raconteurs Broken Boy Soldiers CD

As made clear by the White Stripes, the COLD MOUNTAIN soundtrack, and his lauded album with Loretta Lynn (VAN LEAR ROSE), Jack White approaches all of his music with full commitment, and the Raconteurs is no exception. Not quite a supergroup and much more than a side-project, the band also features fellow Michigan alternative-rock luminary Brendan Benson--who shares vocal, guitar, and keyboard duties with White--and Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler, the formidable rhythm section of Toledo, Ohio's the Greenhornes, who played with White on the aforementioned Lynn record.

Not as raucous or eccentric as the White Stripes' material, yet notably edgier than Benson's pop-savvy outings, BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS offers an excellent fusion of the two singer/songwriters' sensibilities. The mix is made even more cohesive by the disc's clear 1960/'70s vibe, which is best revealed on the opening single "Steady, As She Goes," a track that recalls both the Kinks and Led Zeppelin, while never falling into mere pastiche. Although White is unmistakably the strongest presence on the album, especially with his bursts of six-string fury, the more mild-mannered Benson gets a turn in the spotlight, most notably on the laid-back Beatlesque tune "Together." A collaboration that lives up to, and often exceeds, expectations, the Raconteurs allows White and Benson to enhance, rather than dilute, their considerable talents.

The Raconteurs are a new band made up of old friends, consisting of Jack Lawrence, Patrick Keeler, Brendan Benson and Jack White. The seed was sewn in an attic in the middle of a hot summer when friends Jack White and Brendan Benson got together and wrote a song that truly inspired them. The inspiration led to a creation of a full band with the addition of Lawrence and Keeler. While each of these four individuals have had successful careers with their own bands, the culmination of all of their talents is what truly makes The Raconteurs a force to be reckoned with.

Audio Mixer: Jack White .

Recording information: Le Grande Studios.

Photographer: Autumn DeWilde.

The Raconteurs: Jack White (guitars, keyboards); Brendan Benson (guitars); Jack Lawrence (bass guitar); Patrick Keeler.

Personnel: Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Jack White (vocals, guitar, synthesizer); Patrick Keeler (drums, percussion).

Rolling Stone (p.226) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "If you have a favorite Foghat album or if you can name a single member of Deep Purple, you will love BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS....Expectations were sky high, but the Raconteurs exceed them all."
Rolling Stone (p.106) - Ranked #28 in Rolling Stone's "The Top 50 Albums Of 2006" -- "The Raconteurs are a side project that rocks like a main dish."
Spin (p.59) - Ranked #19 in Spin's "The 40 Best Albums of 2006" -- "[T]he boys have done Jack White a world of good. Brendan Benson and the Greenhornes are just the kind of journeymen a retro visionary needs..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.74) - "[I]t's clear that the Raconteurs are bound by a love of gut-crunching classic-rock riffs....White and Benson trade vocals on most tracks, and obviously enjoy spurring each other on to see who can get the loosest..." -- Grade: B-
Q (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 -- [With] instantly memorable melodies and crunchy riffs....Music that's as elegant as it is raucous. Keeler and Lawrence, a soulful and punchy rhythm section, are the key here."
Q (p.124) - Ranked #13 in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of 2006" -- "Nothing could dent Jack White's second band."
Alternative Press (p.202) - "They deliver the straight-ahead rocking tunes...with a one-two punch of scrappy enthusiasm and unmatched musical proficiency."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.49) - "[A] diverse set of tightly-constructed power-pop and, given White's presence, a wild and fevered spirit abounds..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.67) - Ranked #11 in Kerrang's "20 Greatest Albums of 2006" -- "Lean, versatile and obscenely entertaining..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is truly a band recording, which perfectly blends Jack's rawness with Brendan's sweetness, all of it toughened up by the aggressive underpinning of the Greenhorne duo."