The Dead Weather: Horehound

From the moment primary vocalist Alison Mosshart (The Kills) begins to sing "Hang You from the Heavens" from The Dead Weather's debut single, anyone familiar with the last decade of Jack White's musical output will recognize his influence. Horehound, the first full-length release from this supergroup, which includes guitarist Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) and bassist Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Greenhornes), rumbles with the dark power that has characterized much of The White Stripes' recent work. Mosshart often seems to be delivering a Jack White impersonation and, shockingly, it's a pretty damn good one. By stepping out from her relationship with her main collaborator, James Hince, Mosshart is no longer the smoldering indie rock seductress, and instead gives us new character, closer in spirit to RTX-era Jennifer Herrema.

Interestingly, this album is at its weakest when Jack White is taking the obvious lead. One example is the funk-infused "I Cut Like Buffalo," with lines such as "You know I look like a woman/But I cut like the buffalo." The otherwise awesome "Treat Me Like Your Mother" is soiled by the "time to manipulate" breakdown where both singers spell out the word manipulate.

Thankfully, White spends most of his time behind the drum kit, providing a blistering , bleak backbone for much of this record. It's the perfect summer album for anyone who was a huge Zeppelin fan in high school (or back in the day for that matter). Check out the rocking blues of "Bone House" or the sweaty opener "60 Feet Tall," which features a nice little solo from Fertita.

The Dead Weather - Their Oral History and Future Plans


The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother