The Raconteurs' 'Consolers of the Lonely'

Jack White raised many eyebrows when he announced his side "project" in 2006, the Raconteurs. Made up of White, solo musician Brendan Benson and two members of Indie rock band the Greenhornes, the band released their first album, "Broken Boy Soldiers," to a fair amount of acclaim, though only one song really caught the attention of the masses in the United States, that being "Steady, As She Goes."Their new album, "Consolers of the Lonely," allowed the band more time to work out the direction in which they want to go, and much of it shows. It is clear White's influence is the most prominent in the band (but let's face it: who is the best known and most successful musician here?), in particular White's fascination with the blues. White is influenced primarily by older Delta blues musicians, and this shows most on "Top Yourself," which comes on as nothing but the blues, with an acoustic-rhythm introduction and White's distinct style of overdriven slide-guitar through the rest of the song.

Of course, when discussing the blues, it is impossible to ignore "Rich Kid's Blues," but it is much less in the style of the blues than "Top Yourself." Instead, it is more in the tradition of the Who, from the complex simplicity of the guitar to White's vocal style. Really, it sounds right at home in one of the Who's rock operas.

There is a distinct sound close to that of the Rolling Stones, which makes sense when considering Stones' guitarist Keith Richards' own relationship with the blues. "Salute Your Solution" sounds like the music the Stones would make today if they were still young. Yet this song comes much more from the Stones' pop catalog, with upbeat rhythms and poppy bass beats. But simply because White enjoys his blues does not mean that his band doesn't rock out every once in a while. Opening and title track "Consolers of the Lonely" is heavy, and even reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine, at least musically. There is a repetitive riff that runs through the song, similar to Rage's style, and the drumming is generally fast. "Five on the Five" is another rocker, with White's and Benson's guitars both heavily overdriven and playing together. Into the song, one of the guitars receives a little distortion by means of an octave booster, and as the two guitars duel, it sounds a bit like a fast-metal song, though toned down significantly.

Another influence is country, which also makes sense considering White's musical fling with country music star Loretta Lynn. "Carolina Drama" definitely shows its roots in country music, though don't mistake it for such. There is a mildly overdriven guitar that lays a riff occasionally throughout, and a tight finger-plucked acoustic that lays a rhythm. The country sound comes in that the song is very much a story. There is cheating, murder, drinking and mention of a pickup truck - everything but a dog.

"Take This Blanket Off" has a bit more of the twangy guitar commonly associated with modern country music, but it is really much more a Southern-rock ballad. The guitar and the piano work with one another, which is very common in music by Lynard Skynard, for example.

Another example of White's storytelling prowess is in "The Switch and the Spur," a modern Western told in form of a Spanish-influenced ballad. Mariachi trumpets play through bridges, and the bass lays a solid line for a story to be told with the lyrics. White's telling even involves a bit of direct quotation, accompanied by backup vocals, stating the words of the outlaws escaped from jail.

While the Raconteurs clearly spent more time on this album than the last, this album seems much less fun than "Broken Boy Soldiers." Instead of a number of guys coming up with fun music while sitting around, this album sounds like work. Don't get me wrong, this album is packed with good music, but it feels much more like the band is trying to gain staying power with more options for singles. Whatever the case, they've gained it.