The Dead Weather

Horehound
(Third Man Records)
*3.7*

Goes well with: The White Stripes, The Kills

In 2003, Rolling Stone named Jack White the 17th best guitarist ever. Now, three Grammys later, he’s featured—alongside Jimmy Page and The Edge—in a documentary about the history of the electric guitar (It Might Get Loud).
Am I the only one who thinks there’s something wrong about the way White’s been fast-tracked to rock-god status? The dude’s basically a decent vessel for Southern rock traditions, but short of “Seven Nation Army,” he hasn’t written a catchy, heavy tune for the ages. All of a sudden, he gets acting gigs, gobs of cred and the creative license to launch indulgent, spotty side projects without actually laying the groundwork of a Physical Graffiti or a Joshua Tree to deserve it.

The Dead Weather is another such vanity project. This time around, Jack’s chosen to pass much of the vocal duties to Alison Mosshart of The Kills, who manages to wrap her voice in enough bad-mic flatness to sound exactly like White himself. The record is an uneven affair, full of half-formed solos, shoddy drum clatter and the sort of creepy Dixie posturing that makes people who have never been to the South think Black Snake Moan is a factual cultural study.
Ultimately, Horehound sounds a lot like the rest of White’s oeuvre—self-satisfied and undercooked but with frustrating glimpses of brilliance. I’m sure it will win him another Grammy, and then maybe Obama will appoint him ambassador to Electric Ladyland or something.  FULLPAGE>>>>>>>>