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The Raconteurs
One of the most anticipated sets of this ACL fest had to be that of the Raconteurs, the Jack White-Brendan Benson project that threatens to overtake White’s other band, the White Stripes, in popularity. And the musicians didn’t mess around —- they got right down to it, delivering chunky rock and hard-core blues with one song after another from their only album, “Broken Boy Soldiers.”
Starting out with some guitar wanking, they dove into “Intimate Secretary” and then offered another meaty guitar jam on “Level” before jumping into the hit “Steady, As She Goes” (which sounds like it owes a debt —- or maybe royalties —- to Joe Jackson for “Is She Really Going Out With Him”). It’s a cool rocker from guys who are really good at grinding it out as hard as they can. Benson and White have well-matched voices, and they’ve chosen a serious rhythm section with the Greenhornes’ duo of drummer Patrick Keeler and bassist Jack Lawrence, who streaked the part of his coal-black hair with lightning yellow. (They also brought along auxiliary keyboardist Dean Fertita to fill in Benson’s parts.)
The quintet delivered a delicious surprise with a cover of Sonny & Cher’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” Sounding kind of Cher-ish, White rung every ounce of quivery emotion and drama he could out of his voice before nearly screaming himself hoarse on the next song, “Broken Boy Soldier,” and jumping with Benson into a long, guitars-wailing blues jam on “Blue Veins.” One of the set’s many highlights, it proved you can take the red pants off of a White Stripe and let him rock out all he wants, but he’s still really a blues boy at heart.
(photo by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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By Jeff
September 17, 2006 01:16 PM | Link to this
My wife and I were not that familiar with the Raconteurs—hadn’t heard the whole album, really only knew of one song—but we thought they put on one of the best shows we’d heard yet at ACL.