Again, though, this is not to say that Brendan Benson is the one holding White back; Benson, too, is somewhat stifled in this first publicly documented attempt at collaboration. There is a disbalance to the music that doesn't exactly serve Benson's enormous skills either. Except for "Together," not many of those twinkly, unforgettable moments characteristic of Brendan Benson's solo work are here. Listen to the first five tracks of Alternative to Love.
Those tracks alone (not even sending you to his previous albums Lapalco or One Mississippi) demonstrate the best there is of Benson. And not to leave out Lawrence and Keeler, go listen to "Three Faint Calls" from the Greenhornes' Dual Mono if you're feeling lazy. That magic just didn't translate into the Raconteurs. A hopeful listener can only assume that White and Benson have not yet entirely learned the art of collaboration. But listen again to "Yellow Sun"; only a pair of songwriters as talented as these could have crafted such an excellent, stand-out track. The potential is still there.
Ultimately, if this is just a one-time collaboration between these individuals, then it is a disappointment, although tracks such as "Store Bought Bones" and "Yellow Sun" have laid considerable groundwork for the band as a startling success that should continue to be worked upon. But if, indeed, Broken Boy Soldiers is indicative of future Raconteurs output, then the only fair thing is to treat this release as a new band's debut. And for a debut full-length, Broken Boy Soldiers is filled with a promise which, while not entirely fulfilled as of yet, could surely be met with further artistic growth as a comprehensive unit.
Reviewed by Megan Giddings
Article comments