I saw The Raconteurs last weekend, as did a friend of mine (from whom I shamelessly filched the photo below). Here's what I wrote to her about it:
Glad you enjoyed The Raconteurs. This was my second time seeing them.
My take is that they are an excellent band stuck with mediocre material. Maybe Jack has given his best to The White Stripes, or maybe he just hasn't learned how to write for a four- or five-musician lineup, but there just aren't that many good songs in The Raconteurs' repertoire.
For that reason, I liked them better at the Austin City Limits festival where I first saw them better than I did last weekend in Detroit. At the festival, their set was fairly short (not that they played a terribly long set in Detroit), which allowed them to present only their strongest material. The longer show forced them to fall back on too many forgettable tunes.
All that being said, every time I see Jack White--and this was my fourth time--I am just amazed at how effortless he makes everything look. The guy has got talent to burn; he is the true heir to Clapton, Vaughn, Led Zep and Richards. And he's got the whole Rock God 'Tude to go with all that talent. He is well paired with Branden Benson, whose vocals and pop sensibility temper Jack's sometimes-mercurial delivery.
Still, for me the bottom line is that until they get some better songs--stuff as good as The White Stripes' material--The Racs can't be considered among the greats of rock.
Agree? Disagree? Think I'm vile?
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