The Raconteurs - 'Consolers of the Lonely'
(Warner Brothers, 2008)
Rating: 8

Wow. Who knew that The Raconteurs had it in them? Initially treated as a side/vanity project for White Stripes leader Jack White, The Raconteurs dabbled in enough straight ahead arena rock on their debut record to point towards the possibilities of expansion even as their indie pedigree made such a trip possible in the first place. With their second album, Consolers of the Lonely, the band, led by White and co-frontman Brendan Benson, have pretty much obliterated any conceivable expectations initially garnered in the run up to their follow-up. Consolers of the Lonely is an unapologetically huge rock record that eschews the tongue in the cheek manner of approximating riffdom for the more genuine four on the floor aesthetic reserved for honest attempts at going big. It’s clear throughout the proceedings that The Raconteurs aren’t engaging in any cutesy pie ruminations on irony, as the album plays like a heartfelt examination of the oversized themes that allow for not only mass consumption but eventual transcendence.

Jack White has always worn his influences on his color-coordinated sleeve. Amidst the frequent bursts of sturm and twang in the way of approximated Delta blues has always been a sampling of British Invasion riffage married to his brand of Murder City mayhem. The Raconteurs offers White the chance to paint those influences with an increasingly broad brush, however, as Consolers of the Lonely allows for undeniably big swings without totally forsaking any manner of nuance. Inasmuch as White will likely always remain the most readily identifiable leader of this outfit, it is Brendan Benson’s contributions to the album and willingness to match White that propel Consolers of the Lonely into the rarified air of balls out rock. While White and Benson share similar voices seemingly separated by a few octaves, The Raconteurs’ initial voyage seemed to rest primarily on the merits of the erstwhile Stripesman. With the commencing of the lead-in and title track, however, Benson takes center stage while bathing in the light of some classic rock riffs that eventually yield to some classic White plucking and complimentary vocals. Benson asserts that he’s “bored to tears”, but it’s hard to imagine anyone’s creative juices not being given a good jumpstart by the apparent energy that the band has summoned for their sophomore effort. What makes the rest of the album so remarkable is the manner in which neither frontman dominates the proceedings but succeeds in complimenting the other while culling influences from a number of genres.

Salute Your Solution stands as the lead single, and it’s one of the tracks that definitely would be at home in the Stripes’ catalogue, as the song comes off as a jacked up mash-up of Icky Thump and Blue Orchid. The lead Raconteurs pull off some Beatleseque harmonizing via a piano ballad that evokes early Elton John on You Don’t Understand Me, as the track is indicative of the ways in which the band has expanded their repertoire both instrumentally and thematically. The flavor of the album may change a bit track to track, but the underlying desire to go full bore snakes its way through the entire record. This insistence on going big emerges as the most congruent aspect of Consolers of the Lonely as The Raconteurs run the gamut from Stonesy blues to country infused sing-alongs. Whether it’s the punk squeal of Five on the Five or the spaghetti western homage The Switch and the Spur, the band makes a concerted effort at imbuing their songs with a healthy dose of good old fashioned reckless abandon. The album is above all else fun (a puzzlingly novel concept), as the players showcase their shambolic side without sacrificing focus. White remains his steady self and provides the proceedings with ample guitar antics, not the least of which involves those high-end solos that drive dogs and Mariah Carey crazy (crazier?) alike. Benson proves to be the revelation on Consolers of the Lonely, though, and it is his ability to mirror White’s rapacious appetite for sonic glory that fully enables The Raconteurs to stake their claim in earnest among rock and roll’s most compelling artists in a genre that could use a little help from its friends.

- Brant Miles