Sea of Cowards

 It's morning here so I woke up, then I decided to write a review of one of the greatest albums of 2010. The band I am reviewing is Jack White's Dead Weather. This album constitutes of some of the heaviest stuff that Jack White has ever done. One could describe this group as being a heavier version of the White Stripes. The guitar is solid and often being a great fusion of heavy metal and the blues. The bass is very well done with some great fills. The keyboards are often present and have a great sound. Finally the drums are pretty original. All in all this is a good album, however they often sound a bit to much like the White Stripes.

The guitar work of Jack White is fairly unique however upon carefully listening to this album I felt that the riffs were a bit to much like the White Stripes. At times it feels like White just took a Stripes riff and embellished it a little to get his riffs for this song. The most unique part is the use of guitar squeals on this album that make the music seem crazy. The bass is great mostly because it frequently gets some really nice Yardbirds style fills. The keyboards are excellent they add a great feel to the music mostly because their alternating keyboardists are so talented and versatile. However on occasion the piano got a bit too repetitive. The drums are original they get a lot of unique fills and use the cowbell a lot. So yeah, the drums are pretty cool.

The vocals are very solid, Dead Weather is excellent at using their two vocalists to create a variety of musical feels. The vocalists seem to share the singing about 50/50 so I will review them both. Jack White's vocals are excellent and always unique, however when he tries to imitate Dylan to much he becomes just a meh vocalist. However when he uses his own style he is good as gold. Alison Mosshart has a great voice and a nice last name. She is always a good singer and can make heavy songs have a lighter feel. Her voice reminds me a bit of Patty Griffiths (touring with the Band of Joy). The lyrics are pretty typical of White. They are often critical of individual people. Another topic of his songs is sadness, which is of course a classic White lyric topic.

All in all this is a pretty awesome album with a good and full sound. This record has everything that makes a Jack White record good, however it occasionally falls a bit short of the mark. The guitar riffs are good, however some sound a bit too much like those from the Stripes. Also there is a dearth of guitar solos. The bass is solid and gets some nice fills, and the keyboards are excellent and provide a great feel to the music. Finally the drums are original and a great listen. The vocals from both vocalists are very solid and add a lot to the music. This is a great album fusing blues and metal and it is an excellent listen, I would recommend it to any hard rock fan.

OVERALL 8.5/10

Elephant-The White Stripes

I felt like doing some White Stripes, and so I'm reviewing whats probably their best album Elephant. From the opening notes of Seven Nation Army you know that Jack White has truly found himself as a rock god. While this is not the Stripes breakthrough album this is indeed the album that made everybody kneel to Jack White. This album is an awesome combination of blues and metal. Jack White is a genius, and shows himself as one on this album. The guitar is fantastic and defines the Jack White sound, in addition his keyboards really compliment the music. Meg's drums are awesome and help drive the music along. You cannot forget there are the really cool lyrics which provide a great vibe to the album. Jack of course has a great voice which he shows on this album.

While a lot of the guitar has a blues influence you also feel the influence from Jack's days as a journeyman musician in the 90s when he was big in his local cowpunk scene. Despite the punk style of some of the songs White keeps to his old blues influences and adds a nice classy touch to the album. With his guitar he proves himself as a true rocker who can take the musical world by storm. The sheer power seen in his work is amazing, especially when it is offset by the times of extreme quiet. It shows an awesome juxtaposition and it really rocks. I love the guitar on this album because it combines my love for blues and heavy metal. Meg is great on her drums keeping the music going on the hard rockers and adding a nice touch to some of the quieter ones. Overall the instrumentalism on this album is awesome.

The lyrics are typically rather sad. Many of the lyrics seem to have to do with the disappearance of the concept of the sweetheart. A lot of them are simply talking about lost love and dealing with life in general. Some lyrics talk about the problems with fame as well and the difficulties that the two band members face dealing with all of their newfound fame. (And there was a lot of it.) This album has lyrics that are very inspiring but also sad. The vocals done by Jack are awesome and really show him as one of the best modern vocalists. His voice is both caressing and smooth as well as powerful and capable of destroying anything. In the song Ball and Biscuit Jack invokes the aura of Robert Plant and classic folk music, and then breaks out into a very Jimmy Page like solo. Meg's vocals, while very good are very gentle and soft. They provide an offset to the masculine vocals of White.

Overall this is an album that really can be best described as Led Zeppelinesque. There are quiet acoustic tracks and then loud rock anthems. I love that juxtaposition, for me it makes the album truly great and simply beautiful. The guitar is awesome, a combination of blues and heavy metal, a lot like Zeppelin, only heavier. Meg White plays the drums very well, driving the songs along and providing a nice feel to the music. The lyrics are great, they are mostly sad but they are very deep. Jack is a great singer, at times he is like Robert Plant and other times (more often) he is like Bob Dylan. Meg also has a good voice when she does her share of the singing. Anybody into heavy blues or heavy metal should love this album.

OVERALL 10/10

Elephant