The Dead Weather
Horehound
(Third Man Records)

When does Jack White sleep?

Honestly, he's got to be one of the hardest working and most prolific dudes in rock between bands the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and his stellar collaborations with the likes of Loretta Lynn, the Edge and Jimmy Page.

He's a man possessed by inspiration it seems.

White's latest fever dream brought to life is the Dead Weather, a band mostly fronted by bohemian indie rocker Alison Mosshart, sensual singer of the Kills. The group also includes guitarist/organist Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age and bassist Jack Lawrence, who White plays with in the Raconteurs.

White, meanwhile, spends a great deal of his time behind the drums on the Dead Weather's debut disc Horehound.

He also co-writes and produces the record, as well as contributing his share of the vocal duties in that impassioned, wild-eyed style he's known for.

White's stamp is found all over Horehound and that's a key reason the disc is so damn good.

His signature gutter-gritty punk-blues sound and his meanly stomping rhythms light the gasoline on tunes like "Hang You From the Heavens," "Bone House" and "Treat Me Like Your Mother," a duet with the feral Mosshart that feels a bit like an ugly blues-rock version of "Portland, Oregon," White's duet with Lynn.

The Mosshart/White chemistry also whips up a potent voodoo on the western flavoured "Rocking Horse" and the Bob Dylan cover "New Pony," Horehound's best track.

But White's vision is most fully realized on the tunes that simmer rather than boil over, like the film noirish "So Far From Your Weapon" or the grim, sombre roots number "Will There Be Enough Water?," which feels like it was recorded in an attic.

"I Cut Like A Buffalo" is another oddity that winds up a highlight of the disc, with Fertita's Booker T-ish organ and the tune's dub-rock reggae groove, over which White delivers a vocal half-rapped, half-raved in the vein of Jim Morrison on one of his mad rock-Shaman trips.

You'd think that with all he's taken on White is set for a fail one of these days, but count the Dead Weather as yet another big win.

Rating: 4/5

-- Heath McCoy, CNS

Jordin Sparks
Battlefield
(Jive)

This American Idol winner delivers on her promise to have more upbeat dance tracks on her second CD. With an average of four writers per track, the results are surprisingly consistent: super-slick radio R&B singles that often rise above the usual. "S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)" is a prime example.

Rating: 2.5/5

--Stuart Derdeyn, CNS

Kasabian
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
(Sony)

Kasabian was on a course that promised straightforward Brit-rock, but it has taken a drastic detour short of committing commercial suicide. It's a wonderfully unpredictable album, moody and bold but also fun and a small challenge, for which Kasabian should be applauded. It isn't being safe.

Rating: 3/5

--Tom Harrison, CNS

La Roux
La Roux
(Universal)

The single "Bulletproof" is certainly making the rounds at the moment. But there really is very little to this shrill, super '80s dance-pop singer. Everything sounds deliberately designed to make people think of the hip past and, ultimately, delivers a saccharine, diluted Peaches. Stick to the real thing, because this isn't worth the effort. Hipsters who hitch up to this will regret it.

Rating: 2/5

--Stuart Derdeyn, CNS


Our Lady Peace
Burn Burn Burn
(Coalition Entertainment)

An occasionally interesting rock band capable of building intriguing textures and using singer Raine Maida's unique voice to great effect, OLP throws in the towel on its latest disc. This cliche-ridden, plodding and dull attempt at statement making a la U2 and the sensitive New Age guy arena rock of a Coldplay winds up mirroring neither of those superior acts but rather reminds you of how little this group offers up on these 10 new tracks and two bonus numbers. It doesn't burn, it fizzles.

Rating: 1.5/5

--Stuart Derdeyn, CNS

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