Most music fans over the age of 14 and under the age of 35 know who The White Stripes are, if not, they might have heard of Jack White the guitar player. Not as many fans have heard the name of the Raconteurs, but they will.

The Raconteurs is the new band featuring Jack White of the WStripes fame and friends of his from the Detroit rock scene. This group formed just this past year and their first release is a fun pop-rock nod to good times and deep thoughts.  Guitarist Brendan Benson has had three major CD releases and the WStripes have been known to cover his song "Good To Me" live at their shows. These friends from Detroit put out a good collection of songs that are short, driving, and full of harmonies.

"Steady As She Goes" starts out the CD with a single drum, ala WStripes, but kicks in with a full band blending behind Jacks never maturing voice. "Hands", the second song on this CD, has a wonderful breakdown of harmonies in the middle of the tune. You can tell this will be a major sing along when they come to play Denver CO in July. Two other major hits on this CD are "Intimate Secretary" and "Level"; both songs are great to play loud. My favorite song on this CD has to be "Yellow Sun", it's a nice simple tune and I find myself singing it long after the song is over.

Will this band be the next biggest thing to Rock and Roll…probably not. But what the Raconteurs have going for them is the ability to write good, simple songs that you can appreciate after the first listen. Check out their website or yes, their MySpace page will also give you more info.

I give this CD a 9 out of 10 rating.

Band Members

-Jack White - vocals, guitars, songwriting

-Brendan Benson - vocals, guitars, songwriting

-Jack Lawrence - bass

-Patrick Keeler - drums.