Horehound

by

The Dead Weather

(Third Man Records)

Listener Appeal: Young Adults

Genre: Rock

I had heard a lot about Horehound from some of my friends before I listened to this CD. This album is an infusion of members from popular rock bands, consisting of Jack White (The Raconteurs and the White Stripes), Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stoneage), and Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs and the Greenhornes). Debuting on the Billboard charts at number 6, this record caught my eye.

At first, I couldn’t decide whether I liked this band or not. For the first few listens, I was drawn in, but also hard to immediately appreciate. The Dead Weather has a very rough and raw sound that I wasn’t sure I liked. I went for a couple weeks without hearing them again and thought nothing of it. But soon enough, I had a craving to listen to them. I put them on, and this time the rough and raw edge felt more familiar and appealing. It just sort of draws the listener in.

Probably the most rock infused and provocative song on the record is “Treat Me Like Your Mother.” This song is just so pounding and catchy and it just makes you want to get up and put on a leather jacket and sunglasses and start a revolution. Another great song on Horehound is “Hang You From the Heavens.” This is the kind of song that is a good one to listen to when you just need to release some tension and rock out.

Like I said before, this CD is very rough and raw. This is the kind of sound that definitely won’t appeal to all people. Parents may not like the sound, and the lyrics—while interesting—aren’t necessarily uplifting. Also, some of the time the lyrics don’t make a whole lot of sense. For instance: “I look like a woman but I cut like a buffalo.” What does that mean? Does anyone really know?

Overall though this CD absolutely lived up to my expectations of hard-edged radio rock. Although I didn’t get this album at first, over time it grew on me and now I like it a lot.

FAMILYFANS RATING: A-

AFTER THE MUSIC

If your family members are interested in this album, you can encourage discussion about it. Use this question to help you get started:

• “Hang You From The Heavens,” is a song centered around being mad at someone and getting rid of anger. What are good conflict resolution skills? What are good ways to resolve anger?

--TN

Note: All CD covers and related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective record companies. 

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