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CD Review: The Raconteurs, "Broken Boy Soldiers" (V2)
The Raconteurs nearly live up to their lofty potential on the indie-rock supergroup's solid debut CD, "Broken Boy Soldiers."
The CD kicks off with a killer groove, compliments of bassist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler (both from The Greenhornes), that sounds so reminiscent of Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him" that you might find yourself singing, "Pretty women out walkin' with gorillas down my street ..." The good news is that the song, which happens to be the album's first single, is nearly as catchy as that Jackson classic.
Actually, there's plenty of good news to be found on this disc. The second track, "Hands," is a driving rocker that sounds like the natural next single. If not, track three, "Broken Boy Soldiers," is a slice of head-banging heaven that would work great on radio.
The album is full of diversely appealing numbers. "Intimate Soldiers," for instance, is a groovy, mid-'60s-style psychedelic tune that sounds like an outtake from the Beatles' "Rubber Soul" sessions. The band jumps a decade and convincingly channels '70s space rock with "Store Bought Bones."
Singer/songwriter Brendan Benson and The White Stripes' Jack White mesh their vocals very well, especially on "Together" and "Yellow Sun."
The Raconteurs lose steam as they approach the finish line. The CD's last two songs are by far its worst. The band fails to radiate much heat with the sunny indie-pop number "Call It a Day," and "Blue Vein" is a forgettable barroom-blues offering.
However, one gets the impression from listening to "Broken Boy Soldiers" that The Raconteurs are going to be a load of fun in concert.
