My Old, Familiar Friend
is
Brendan Benson
's first album since becoming
Jack White
's lieutenant in
the Raconteurs
, but the group's raucous classicist guitar rock isn't readily apparent on this,
Benson
's fourth collection of precisely practiced pop. If anything, the higher profile he's received as part of
has offered
the opportunity to ratchet up his perfectionism and indulge in a bit of retro fantasia, allowing him to pair the bright neo-Motown of
"Garbage Day"
with
"Gonowhere,"
a rather brilliant pastiche of prime
Wings
. All the extra time and budget on
does result in a record where it's easier to admire
's reach but it's at a cost: the extra care does take a good deal of the power out of his power pop, putting his music somewhat at a remove even when it's at its liveliest, as on the opener
"Eyes on the Horizon"
or the cheerful, not entirely ironic, breakup stomp
"Don't Wanna Talk."
Such is the trade-off of working on a grander scale -- ambitions are realized at the expense of energy. Fortunately for
, even if he doesn't quite have the vocal presence to fully inhabit this stage, his taste and melodic skills are suited for this bigger scale so
winds up as an effective showcase for his craftsmanship even if it never quite grabs ahold the way
Lapalco
did. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine