Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 97
 Jamming with Jack and the boys! April 19, 2008
Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
"Consolers of the lonely" is the sophomore album by White Stripes' Jack White's side group Raconteurs, and while I prefer "Broken boy soldiers" (with its crawling title track and the awesome "Steady as she goes") this is just as good as a whole. As is the case with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs are experimental and the album is musically diverse, you can tell they had a great time recording it.
The sound this time around is crunchier and more fractured, though the mood is mellow, with just a few rockers like lead-off single "Salute your solution" and the title track "Consoler of the lonely", the latter with jagged guitars, tempo shifts from upbeat verses to a sombre chorus and a squealing guitar outro.
"You don't understand me" is a lovely piano-sprinkled ballad with lovely harmonies. "The switch and the spur" has dramatic darting horns and a faint Ska feel. It wouldn't go amiss on the soundtrack to some Western movie.
"Many shades of black" is a retro sounding horn sprinkled pop ballad. The rocker "Five on the five" has a squealing horn/guitar intro, a chugging riff in the verses, squealing vocals, and a punk feel. "Top yourself" is a nice ballad with bursts of guitar for a chorus.
"Carolina drama" is a Western-style ballad with storytelling lyrics about some bloke named Billy, and lovely ethereal vocal breaks. Simply outstanding! "Pull this blanket off" is a slow piano/guitar ballad with an almost hymnal feel, while the similar Blues-tinged "Rich kid blues" eventually picks up speed.
I've loved everything Jack White has done since I fell in love with "White blood cells", and he's been pretty busy the last four years, releasing a White Stripes or Raconteurs album every other year. If you love your rock edgy and experimental, this should be right up your alley.
 Mediocrity Rules: Another attempt from Jack White at trying to emulate a Billy Childish record... March 26, 2008
A. Olivas (Los Angeles)
7 out of 60 found this review helpful
Clearly and obviously from the cover art of this record, here is another attempt from Jack White trying to emulate and rip off the aesthetic already done by Billy Childish's pen hole camera ' old timey' photos for his albums with his much rawer former rock combo The Buff Medways. Jack White's 'safe' radio friendly, overly produced predictable blues-rock-garage has been done much better with more rock and roll grit in the 80's by Billy Childish, Thee Mummies, Gun Club, [...] Galore etc, etc and especially in the 90's with Honeymoon Killers, JSBX, the Gories, the Gibson Brothers, the Oblivians, etc, etc, etc.
Save your money, do not buy yuppie music that emulates true raw punk rock and roll such as this Rank band
This is a real band March 26, 2008
Stephen P. Alexander (Detroit, MI)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
If you have read any of the reviews on other sites bashing this album, don't be fooled. Of course it doesn't sound like the 1st Raconteur album..that would be boring....if you have followed Jack White's career you know that he always changes it up with each album, White Stripes, Raconteurs or any other project that he's involved with. I think the bands songwriting/arranging on this album is supperior to the 1st. Great effort!!! I've been a fan of Jack White since seeing him on a whim at a Detroit bar back in the early Stripe days....this album has now become one of my favorites.....buy it!
Greatest Album of the Decade? March 29, 2008
Ian McNaught (Boston, Ma)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Well I guess that is for the individual listener to decide, but after about 20 listens now I honestly believe it is. It certainly is not a continuation of Broken Boy Soldiers, which had a set sound that carried though the entire listen. Consolers Of The Lonely has many different sounds throughout, but somehow the transition between songs flows brilliantly. The hard rockers are there ("Consoler of the Lonely", "Attention", "Salute Your Solution", "Five on the Five"...), the old fashioned blues Jack White so obviously loves is there ("Top Yourself", "Rich Kid Blues", a great cover), country and bluegrass roots are there ("Old Enough", "Carolina Drama"), and even the piano ballads ("You Dont Understand Me", "Pull This Blanket Off"). With so many polarizing sounds present you would think it would be hard to find a constant flow and rhythm, but thats exactly what they've found.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this album is the tempo changes occuring right in the thick of many of these songs. The most notable occurance would have to be the title track. The first 1:15 or so is a fantastic groove with Benson on the mic, then out of nowhere comes an abrupt slow in the tempo and our first introduction to Jack's signature howl. This unexpected but fantastic moment is what turns a good song into a great one.
The influences present here are obvious, making the whole experience even more captivating. Jack channels Jimmy Page, particularly Led Zeppelin III, with his brilliant slide riff on the bluesy "Top Yourself". "Many Shades Of Black" would make Freddy Mercury proud. And "These Stones Will Shout" could pass for a Beatles tune at parts, specifically during the harmonizing. "These Stones Will Shout" also provides one of the best moments of the CD. Heading into the last chorus, from about 3:00-3:06, the bridge gives way to an explosive drum roll with both voices firing at their best. It's one of those moments that gives you shivers...at least it does for me.
Yet another dynamic pulling the listener in is the story telling quality that several songs feature. "The Switch and the Spur" has a fantastic western feel that is supported by Benson's story of when "an appaloosa and a wanted man sprung from jail". And how could I forget what seems to be everyones pick for the "epic" of the album, "Carolina Drama". White's storytelling ability has never shined more than it does for this potent six minutes. He captures you from the very beginning and doesn't let up til the very end, leaving you wanting more.
I truely can't praise this album enough. I've seen some very negative reviews, and some extremely positive reviews, telling me that most people either hate it or love it. I suppose the overall span of this album can be polarizing, but then again it seems to have something for everyone. I always say "to each his own", but in this case I think this should be everyone's own.
Personal favorites: "Consoler of the Lonely", "Old Enough", "The Switch and the Spur", "Top Yourself", "Attention", "These Stones Will Shout".
One of the best albums of 2008! April 6, 2008
Bryan L. Walter (Ohio)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
I am writing this review on Sunday, April 6th, 2008.
Upon first hearing the album "Stadium Arcadium" by The
Red Hot Chili Peppers, I told anyone who would listen,
that it would be nominated for Album Of The Year at
the Grammy Awards. And it was. If not for the voters
rewarding The Dixie Chicks for their boldness, it would
have surely been the winner.
Now it is time for my next prediction: Consolers Of The
Lonely will at least be nominated for Album Of The Year,
and probably many other Grammys. Now, I cannot predict
what the voters will choose to reward this time, but trust
me, this Ranoteurs album is one for all time. Yes, it's
that damn good!
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