RACONTEURS--CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY

by Rick Zeigler

The above-mentioned Black Keys are not the only blues-rock duo of note in our musical universe, of course. Jack and Meg White have made the White Stripes almost a household word, what with Jack's winning way with melodies and guitar licks and the duo's eye-catching and memorable penchant for dressing only in red, white, and black. Jack apparently wanted to venture beyond the sound of his duo, however, and recruited the rhythm section of the Greenhornes, along with fellow Michigan songwriter Brendan Benson, to form the Raconteurs. Their first album, Broken Boy Soldiers, was a relaxed, yet hard-charging trip, combining strong, "Beatlesy" melodies (Benson's strong suit on his own excellent solo albums) with dirty, "Rolling Stonesy" grit and spittle. The whole affair came across as so casual and knocked off that one couldn't help but develop a fondness for it. But the follow-up record, Consolers Of The Lonely, is a whole different affair. Sounding anything but casual, with tinkling pianos, overwrought guitar solos, mariachi and Broadway-style horns, fiddles, and whatever else can be thrown into the mix filling up every nook and cranny, this album is overstuffed to the point of bloating. And that's not to mention the orchestral passages redolent of Queen and keyboard parts that sound straight out of the Emerson, Lake, and Palmer school of bombast. Where Broken… took a minimalist route, Consolers… goes all maximalist. Where Broken… barely broke the thirty-minute mark, Consolers plows along for over an hour. This is not to say there are no redeeming qualities to Consolers…, as the principals involved are, to be sure, outstanding talents. White unveils some of his best slide guitar work yet, and when Benson and White harmonize, as they do on many choruses, all is forgiven. And while the final song, "Carolina Drama," stretches on a little too long, it is an excellent foray into a sort of story-telling balladeering that feels exactly right for this combo. But overall, Consolers Of The Lonely is a perfect example of when too much is, in fact, too much.