The term "classic rock" evokes a negative connotation. It's a made-up category that makes it safe for radio DJs to utter the names Led Zeppelin and Steely Dan in the same breath, particularly when the only thing those two groups have in common is the era in which they were primarily in existence. The Dead Weather - the blues-rock quartet featuring Allison Mosshart, Dean Fertita, Jack Lawrence, and some guy called Jack White - has way more in common with Led Zeppelin, and age or nostalgia have nothing to do with it.
The Dead Weather are no Zeppelin imitators - White is too seasoned a bandleader, his group too talented for such a misnomer - but they sound like the second-coming on their follow-up to last year's "Horehound" (2009). Far more concise and aggresive than it's predecessor, "Sea of Cowards" (2010) will squelch any claims that this is filler for White until the next White Stripes records. In hindsight, it's clear that what the Dead Weather needed was more of him, and here his presence is felt throughout as opposed to sporadically. He and Mosshart split vocal duties, even sharing them on certain songs, often to the point where it's hard to tell who is who. In general, the overall feel of the album has White's trademark tripped-out blues-rock stamp on it, but it's no dictatorship. Don't be fooled, this is truly a group effort by a group that has grown tenfold in strength through endless touring over the past year.
Whereas "Horehound" was a hodgepodge of contrasting sounds like the slow-burner "Will There Be Enough Water?" and the oddball standout "I Cut Like A Buffalo," "Cowards" is a visceral assault of yelps and cries backed by grinding guitars, fuzzy organs, and thunderous rhythms. In fact, the new album doesn't resemble much of anything from the old with the exception of the fact that it features the same players. Only this time around though, the players are more focused and utilized than they had been before. Mosshart has developed into a full-blown blues-rock goddess, broadening her range beyond anything we've heard from her before. Her performance on "Gasoline" is breathtaking. Fertita in particular steps it up on this album, creating a dynamic one-two punch on the guitar and organ. Lawrence continues to be White's right-hand man, complimenting his rhythms with more pronounced bass lines, notably on album-standout "Hustle and Cuss" and closer "Old Mary."
Perhaps the most noteworthy difference on "Cowards" is how much it sounds like an elongated jam session as opposed to a collection of songs. Particularly on the first half of the album (or side if you're a vinyl-thinker like White), one will have a hard time being able to tell when one song has ended and when another has begun, evident in how seamlessly the raucous opening tracks, White's "Blue Blood Blues" and Mosshart's "Cuss," flow together. Because of this, the album feels like it is structured around moments rather than tracks, with the exception of the first single "Die By The Drop." That might make "Cowards" a bitter pill to swallow for those who are used to a song based album, but for those who prefer to put the needle down, kick back, and absorb whole LPs in one sitting, this is as perfect as they come.
"Sea of Cowards" is a bit of a paradox. It's an album that feels refined but is also very raw. It's more reminiscent of "Stop Breaking Down" or "Hello Operator," back when White was more concerned with making no-frills blues rock than being Jack White. It also rocks more than most of the music that claims to be rock over the last decade and a half has, and will probably be looked upon as the defining moment of this incredible band, The Dead Weather; no longer a mere side project for it's creators.
