Review of The Raconteurs's CD "Steady, As She Goes"

The Raconteurs: Steady, As She Goes

Come on, hands up who out there is a cynic? Ha ha, I see a number of you putting your arms up! Nice and straight, eager to grab sir's attention, good, good! Now then class, keep them up if you reckon the stars above are merely because this is The Raconteurs. Yeah, you know ... Brendan Benson and Jack White's band, the Detroit collaboration for whom dictionary writers intended the term 'supergroup'. Most hands remain in view, interesting ... well, you may be right to be cautious and it's always worth a ponder why exactly such groups come together - a couple of singles, an album, a tour and your cash perhaps? A short-lived side-project? Ooh, you are sceptical, ha. Even I'm a cynic sometimes.

But how much should you really care about the who? Instead of the what, the product, the music? Should you restrict your own enjoyment simply because of who a band are?

Well it just so happens that I heard "Steady, As She Goes" on XFM fairly frequently and grew to be, shall we say, quite fond of it. Yet even after 20 or so plays I still hadn't an inkling of who the band was by name, let alone who was in it - I enjoy getting into music this way, without prejudice and leaving wariness at home.

The idea it was a supergroup from Detroit was a million miles away from my thoughts as I got carried away on the breeze of a simple drumbeat intro and a subsequent layer of bass (also rather simplistic to be truthful). Guitars cut in and out on the beat, and then the vocals: "Find yourself a girl, and settle down / Live a simple life in a quiet town / Steady, as she goes ... ". I was sold.

More recently, I found out by absolute chance that it was The Raconteurs, a project that by all intents may be relatively brief even if the pair are old friends - there's an album in May and of course there's the summer festival season.

So should I recollect my thoughts and opinions? Of course not, although I know plenty that would. Yet I admit I'm trying hard to resist the cynical side of me having its twisted say on these 'ere master storytellers.

• www.theraconteurs.com

Find related articles: brendan benson, raconteurs, cynical side, quiet town, wariness.