The Dead Weather is really a supergroup in composition, and quite a collaboration between artists, I have to say. With Allison Mosshart from The Kills on vocals and guitar, Jack White of The White Stripes on vocals and guitar, Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age on guitar, and John Lawrence from The Greenhorns on bass, it’s just as good of a collaboration as you’d think it would be – with a combination of blues, rock, and stoner rock all rolled into one. It’s the type of album you’d feel excited to hear live whether you’re in one of those small, smoky clubs where you hear the band play or in a large stadium rocking out. My ears were pleasantly surprised and impressed. And trust me, I’m a tough customer to please.
The creation behind The Dead Weather had me grinning from ear to ear when I read from Alan Cross’s account – The Kills were the opening act for The Racounteurs, of which Jack White is a part of. White had been ill and Mosshart was asked to sub in for him. He was impressed, and after a drunken night, they headed to Tennessee to record in studio. That’s quite a story, or at least the variation of it I was able to catch.
I do consider myself a fan of Allison Mosshart’s vocals – she has a grit that is literally not found in many considerations in modern music, and she brings it just as convincingly as her work with the Kills. Jack White provides a nice amount of chemistry with Mosshart vocally, and the cohesiveness of the accompaniment between White, Fertita and Lawrence through each track gives it an immediate punch and flavor that makes it radiate confidence, poise, and edge. The album alternates between its own distinct set of moods, some which maintain a punch that lasts throughout the song (“I Cut Like A Buffalo”, “Treat Me Like Your Mother”) while others choose a steady build to a point where it errupts in the cusp of emotion (“So Far from Your Weapon”, “Rocking Horse”).
I’m even more impressed by how well the syncopation plays out in many of the songs on this album between the musicians, it brings the right amount of tension and anticipation noted in the genre, without ever going terribly crazy (though there are some moments when I think Jack White makes me shake my head at his usual inflections, but it’s considerably tamer here).
I’ll have more to say on the album’s cohesiveness, content, and charisma (interesting use of alliteration, don’t you think? I swear it was unintentional) after the tracklisting and cut, but color this one of my favorite albums of the year. Hands down.
The Dead Weather – “Horehound”
Released: July 10, 2009
1. 60 Feet Tall (5:33)
2. Hang You From The Heavens (3:38)
3. I Cut Like a Buffalo (3:28)
4. So Far From Your Weapon (3:40)
5. Treat Me Like Your Mother (4:10)
6. Rocking Horse (2:59)
7. New Pony (3:58)
8. Bone House (3:27)
9. 3 Birds (3:45)
10. No Hassle Night (2:56)
11. Will There Be Enough Water? (6:20)
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