Dodge and Burn is the latest from Nashville psychedelic rock group and Third Man Records artist The Dead Weather; the band’s first release since Sea of Cowards in 2010. Started a year earlier with its debut album Horehound, the super group features an established creative mix with Alison Mosshart leading the way alongside drummer and backup vocalist Jack White, Raconteurs bassist Jack Lawrence and former Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita. The band made its live debut in March of 2009 at the Third Man offices with a performance in front of 150 people.
White is not at the helm, vocally at least, on this album nearly as much as the band’s previous releases though he does appear successfully and sparingly. The track “Three Dollar Hat” features White in the style of Zack de la Rocha from Rage Against The Machine. Tracks like “I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)” work really well for Mosshart whereas the finale “Impossible Winner” should have been left off the album. “Open Up” has a trademark White Stripes with a spin but the album offers up new sounds with “Mile Markers” and “Rough Detective,” also featuring White.
Although Dodge and Burn may not be as dynamic or attractive as the band’s past discography, after factoring in the members’ involvement in other projects as well as Mosshart’s emerging role as the face of the band in effort to preserve White’s vocal longevity, the foursome is entirely relevant despite the shadow they cast upon themselves.
Recommended If You Like: The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Kills, Queens of the Stone Age
Recommended Tracks: 4 (Three Dollar Hat), 1 (I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)), 5 (Lose the Right), 7 (Open Up)
Do Not Play: 10 (Cop and Go)
Written by Harrison Hipp on 11/09/15