Throwback Thursday: Consolers of the Lonely, by The Raconteurs

Album cover of Consolers of the Lonely, by The Raconteurs. Property of The Raconteurs.

In 2008, Jack White and his side project The Raconteurs decided to drop a big surprise on their fans. Their 2006 debut Broken Boy Soldiers had gone over well and plenty of people loved what they were doing, so when they dropped Consolers of the Lonely with only a week's notice before the release date people went nuts. The fans were incredibly pleasantly surprised by this blindside release. The only downside however was that it was the band's last release before they went on a hiatus that is currently still going on.

Consolers of the Lonely seems to go in a more bluesy and ballsy direction than Broken Boy Soldiers. It sounds a bit more like The White Stripes in some regards (which is no surprise considering Jack had just gotten done touring for the ginormous Icky Thump album), but at the same time it goes in its own direction. One or two songs even sound like something Paul McCartney would have written during the days of The Beatles. It's eclectic in some regards, but the song writing is a great deal more satisfying.

Consoler of the Lonely is one hell of a solid rock n' roll track. It takes all the best elements of twangy old blues rock and throwing in some more punchy modern alternative into the mix. The way it switches gears back and forth so quickly while remaining one cohesive song is truly remarkable. That is some trademark Jack White song writing right there. This is definitely a tune you will want to crank through your stereo at top volume so you can rock out and drive the neighbors nuts.

Many Shades of Black is one of the few songs that has made my jaw drop and say "WOW." in recent times. If you didn't know any better, you would have swore that it was a leftover from The Beatles' Abbey Road album. It has that Oh Darling kind of vibe to it, but at the same time it does its own thing. The horn section definitely makes the chorus boom a bit more while also adding a bit of shine that only brass can. You will be swaying and singing along to it in no time at all.

Consolers of the Lonely has one great song after the next. If you're looking for some fantastic alternative rock that doesn't get much in the way of any radio airplay then you'll want to pick this album up asap. As I mentioned earlier, it's pretty eclectic so you're bound to find something in there that suits your fancy. It can go from rock, to ballad, to something else entirely all within the space of a track or two. You definitely won't be disappointed with it.

Consolers of the Lonely, by The Raconteurs receives 4 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Consoler of the Lonely
2. Salute Your Solution
3. You Don't Understand Me
4. Old Enough
5. The Switch and the Spur
6. Hold Up
7. Top Yourself
8. Many Shades of Black
9. Five on the Five
10. Attention
11. Pull This Blanket Off
12. Rich Kid Blues
13. These Stones Will Shout
14. Carolina Drama

Buy the album on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Consolers-Lonely-Raconteurs/dp/B0016CQCMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502438909&sr=8-1&keywords=Consolers+of+the+Lonely