YYYY Love ItSome big name reviewer (Anthony DeCurtis, I think) once jokingly said, “I’m a music critic, so therefore I must love everything Jack White does.” I guess I could be called a music critic as well because I too, love everything Jack White does. I love the White Stripes, I love the Loretta Lynn Album he produced, I love the songs he did on the soundtrack from Cold Mountain, and I love The Raconteurs. This band came to life out of a mutual admiration between White and his friend and songwriter Brendan Benson; and along with Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence put together a band that channels some of the sound and energy of the Stooges and the storytelling of Hank Williams into something more then just a passing fancy side-project for White. Most of this album is bigger sounding and harder then their first record, with all but one track credited to White and Benson. There are songs that feel like they could be tracks off a White Stripes album, but being a Stripes fan I’m okay with that. However, it’s the songs that don’t sound like the Stripes that really grab me. You Don’t Understand Me, opens simply on a piano and crescendos into a classic rock song; Old Enough has some nice fiddle work and vocals that could easily be found on a CSN&Y album; the reggae-ish mariachi of The Switch and the Spur is vivid both musically and lyrically; Benson's vocals on Many Shades of Black are powerful and moving. However, the true high point is the last track, Carolina Drama. A perfectly penned tale of murder which has the feel of a modern day biblical parable, if it were a movie it would star a young Robert Blake. Throughout this album you never get the sense that this band showcases one person over the other, but rather reflects a true collaborative effort of four very talented musicians.
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