Background

Up until a couple of months ago, I had never heard of the Raconteurs. We listen to music all day at work via Spotify and one of my colleagues decided to put this album on and I instantly fell in love with it. The band are a four piece arrancement fronted by former White Stripes vocalist Jack White. Consolers of the Lonely is the bands second album and follows in the footsteps of their 2006 offering, Broken Boy Soldiers.

Album Specifics

The total running time for this album is 55 minutes and 30 seconds. In total, there are an impressive 14 tracks to listen to . The album includes the singles. Salute your Solution, Many Shades of Black, Old Enough and Consolers of the Lonely, all of which scanalously in my opinion have failed to make the UK top 40 chartts although this album did make it to number 8 in the charts when released in 2008.

Album Tracks

Consolers of the Lonely (3:25)

A nice gentle introduction into the album. White shows off his distinctive vocal abilities. There is a very catchy beat to this number, rap like lyrics and some decent guitar rifts.

Verdict : A catchy opener to the album which sets the tone nicely for what is to follow.

Score : 8/10

Salute Your Solution (2:59)

Following in the same theme as Consolers of the Lonely, Salute Your Solution is another catchy song that will stick in the mind for a long time after listening to it. Although it is short at a touch inder 3 minutes, it has still been broken down into three sections. The first and third sections of the song is very rocky, giving you plenty of opportunity to bounce around the room where the middle bridge gives you a chance to catch your breath, slowing down with White coming out with the catchy line 'And I got what I got all despite you'.

Verdict : This is a classic fast/slow/fast track which will have you reciting the middle part of the song in your head time and time again without even noticing.

Score: 8/10

You Don't Understand Me (4:53)

This is one of my favourite tracks on the album and is a lot more mellow than the previous two. Starting off with a nice bit of piano playing, the track can almost be classed as a balad but without the cheesiness of a Westlife track. I challenge anyone to not like this song, it really is lovely.

Verdict : This song is beautiful, if it was released by a more high profile band it would make number one for sure. This track shows the band are not a one trick pony and can switch musical styles mid album and still be capable of delivering the goods.

Score: 10/10

Old Enough (3:57)

Yet another change of musical style. This track starts with the vocal and acoustic guitar and reminds me of the 90s track, Young at Heart by the Bluebells. This would probably by classed as easy listening compared to the majority of the album and definitely the closest thing to pop music on the album.

Verdict : This track is very listenable but is probably one of the weaker ones on the album. I think that statement really reflects on how good the other songs are rather than how bad this one is.

Score : 7/10

The Switch and the Spur (4:25)

This is another quality songs. This is the third mellow track in a row and by now you'll be forgiven for thinking that the whole album is full of slow relaxing tracks and that the first 2 were just thrown in there for effect. This song has some very impressive trumpet playing all the way through it. This is one of those tracks where you will remember the tune over the lyrics.

Verdict : This is a good song, although you'll probably be humming the tune more than singing the words as its got an extremely catchy section in it. My son even asked me when I was listing to it if it was the song that went like.....(he began humming the tune).

Score : 8/10

Hold Up (3:26)

This track takes us back to the more rocky style of music of the early tracks. I love this track and can see this going down well live as the crowd chant the line 'Hold Up' several times in a row. This track reminds me of the Rolling Stones which is strange as I don't like the stones but do like this.

Verdict : Great track for singing along to. The placement of this track on the album is perfect.. After three slower tracks, this really gets you back into the mood for bouncing up and down.

Score : 9/10

Top Yourself (4:25)

After this track we are half way through the album and White is singing a song about ending it all. Hopefully by this stage you will be enjoying the album as much as I do. Considering the title of this song, it is rather surprising that this is another mellow offering. This is a very catchy song but I wouldnt class it as one of the better tracks on the album.

Verdict : This is a very listenable track but if you are short on time, this may be a track that you skip over as it doesnt really deviate from the first note to the last.

Score : 7/10

Many Shades of Black (4:24)

This is my favourite track on the album. How this track failed to even chart in the UK is beyond me and is a sad reflection on the UK charts at the current time. I challenge anyone to resist singing along with the chorus line here. The vocals are simply stunning and with the return of the trumpet, this track just works so well.

Verdict : This is one of my favourite songs from any group at the moment, I think it is that good. This is the champion track of the album in my opinion. Even if you decide not to listen to the whole album, this track deserves a listen.

Score : 10/10 STAR TRACK

Five on the Five (3:33)

This is the heaviest track on the album but is still very listenable. Probably not one you'll be singing along to due to the speed of the lyrics. This one is more guitar and drum orientated than most of the other tracks once again showing the flexibility to change styles mid album.

Verdict : This may be another one on the skip list if you are short on time but it still is a very good track. Its a bit more diverse than the rest of the tracks but I dont think thats a bad thing.

Score : 7/10

Attention (3:40)

In my opinion, this is probably the weakest track on the album. It reminds me of the 70s style rock I used to see when watching Beavis and Butthead back in the early 90s. It is an ok track but its not dynamic enough for my liking.

Verdict : Well its very rare for an album to be great all the way through, this track slightly lets the album down but its still not woefully bad.

Score : 6/10

Pull this Blanket Off (1:59)

At 1 minute 59, this track almost doesnt seem worth it. In my opinion it works really well. Its another slow song with no real structure in terms of veres and a chorus, it just starts at the beginning and finishes at the end. I actually think its a clever track to include at this stage of the album. So far we've had a mixture of heavy rock tracks and slower balad style tracks and now this track has been included to keep you interested in the rest of the album as you just dont know what to expect next.

Verdict : I like this track a lot, its one you can sing along to without having any musical talent whatsoever which is good in my case.

Score 8/10

Rich Kids Blues (4:34)

This is another of my favourite tracks on the album. This track contains everything we've heard before on this album in the one track. A slow start gets you thinking its another balad style track until a minute into the song when the guitars kick in and the tempo is lifted, just when the rockers are in full flow, the track slows again, only to speed up for the last 1 minute or so. This track really resembles a rollercoaster and is one not to be missed, as with Many Shades of Black, this track should be listened to at all costs, it really is a classic in my eyes.

Verdict : This is the type of song that would get played during an encore at a concert as it has something in it for everyone. The Elton John cigarette lighter brigade would love the start whereas the bouncing up and down rocker type people would love the faster bits. As for me, I love it all, its definitely in my top 3 tracks on the album.

Score : 10/10

These Stones Will Shout (3:54)

This track is another which starts off with just an acousitc guitar and vocals. to be honest, it struggles to get going, almost as if the band are starting to run out of material to complete the album. This song to me, sounds like something they probably came up with at a jamming session and decided to put it on the album without any fine tuning. Its still listenable but its not the greatest track by a long way.

Verdict : Along with Attention, this is the weakest track on the album. It doesnt really flow and its faults are highly evident when mixing whith the other high quality tracks on this album.

Carolina Drama (5:55)

Well we finally reach the final track on the album and after the let down of the previous track, this album is in real danger of ending on a bit of a low. Luckily Carolina Drama ensures this is not the case. This is the longest track on the album and tells the story of family living in Carolina and how their lifes are troubled. This is a very poweful ending to the album as White bellows out yet another classic leaving you ready to hit the repeat button and play the whole thing over and over again.

Verdict : A great ending to a great album, this song is so well written and it is worth paying attention to the words, This track does contain strong language so its best not to listen with the kids in earshot.

The Album Verdict

As I said at the start of the review, I hadn't heard of this group until a few months ago and was never a fan of the White Stripes so I had a totally open mind when listening to this for the first time. Over those last few months, this album has become the one I've listened to the most out of all my music.

The Raconteurs are not a high profile group and will not get the mainstream exposure I think they deserve which is a shame. Thanks to Spotify, groups like this will start to get more exposure which can only be good for the future of music.

Before you decide whether to buy this album or not, I would recommend you have a listen via Spotify (its free and legal if you are not aware what it is). That way, like me you can listen first and then make your mind up.

In my opinion this is a 10/10 album, probably as good as anything I've heard in the last 5 years and thats saying something. I'm very hard to please where music is concerned.