Horehound
by The Dead Weather
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 52
  3. Negative: 3 out of 52

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  1. drewp
    Jul 30, 2009
    10
    Blues and rock and punk (and hip-hop??) It's not difficult to spot the influences here, but it's impossible not to be impressed by the way they're combined here to make the most exciting rock album of the year. If nothing else, check Treat Me Like Your Mother and Cut Like a Buffalo.
  2. amosB
    Jul 27, 2009
    3
    Jack White?? Who CARES?!!? VV Alison Mosshart is the postmodern blues genius in this band, but this record ISN'T EVEN CLOSE to The Kills' brilliant 'Midnight Boom' of 2009. This album sounds like an afterthought recorded in 12 hours for all of the talent involved. A mammoth disappointment.
  3. Josh
    Jul 16, 2009
    7
    I always get a kick out of NME reviews. Building the worst trash like Arctic Monkeys, but kicking seasoned musicians in the ribs. Mind you this record is nowhere near as good as it could have been but for a side project where the record was cut in three weeks, most bands would be lucky to have enough talent to cut a record with such bite and burgeoning originality, whether derived or not. I always get a kick out of NME reviews. Building the worst trash like Arctic Monkeys, but kicking seasoned musicians in the ribs. Mind you this record is nowhere near as good as it could have been but for a side project where the record was cut in three weeks, most bands would be lucky to have enough talent to cut a record with such bite and burgeoning originality, whether derived or not. Isn't it all… Expand
  4. MS.
    Aug 13, 2009
    7
    This isn't a bad album - not great but not bad. Alison Mosshart adds some great vocals and the musicianship is very good. Can't help feeling that Jack White is diluting himself too much though. This is the worst of his side-projects (which shows just how good a rock star he actually is).
  5. Daniel
    Jul 15, 2009
    8
    Nice album, but I expected a little more, simply because Jack White is in the group, and most things he touches turn out to be awesome.
  6. Jim
    Jul 16, 2009
    8
    A terrific cd that goes back to rock's bluesy roots. One of the best this year.
  7. DiegoD.
    Jul 19, 2009
    8
    Josh, you really nail it with that comment. I can't add a single word to that, just that I agree completly. Anyway, I gave this album several spins so I could give it a valid review on my site and ended up with a solid 8. From my point of view thats an impressive number for any record now days. This album have a sure spot on my top 10 of the year.
  8. jabezT.
    Jul 23, 2009
    9
    I am a huge WS fan who didn't like the Raconteurs at all. This one is loose, primitive, swinging--it's just great fun. I can't take it out of my CD player. Minor flaws like the drums are pretty high in the mix and the song quality trails off a bit at the end are really quibbles when the overall result is this hot. Play it loud!
  9. JoeB.
    Jul 23, 2009
    9
    For those hankering that The Raconteurs sounded like an extension of The White Stripes, no worries here...The Dead Weather are unique in their sound and it's impressive.
  10. JordanS
    Jul 25, 2009
    10
    Simply one of the best albums of 2009. No doubt.
  11. WaltC.
    Jul 28, 2009
    9
    I saw the Dead Weather live in Minneapolis last night. Great show (other than the strobe-y lighting effects - that was annoying) is support of a top-notch album. The Dylan cover "New Pony" is really raw. Mosshart is a great foil to Jack White. Great musical tension. Fertita and Lawrence round out an excellent ensemble.
  12. JimmyM.
    Aug 22, 2009
    10
    Simply superb.
  13. Czar
    Aug 3, 2009
    9
    Allison Mossheart is just the best. I am large Kills fan, I like the white stripes (but got a bit bored with them). Horehound rocks - it is what rock should be raw, rough violent, black - awesome. Growling guitars, good skin sounds - heady and captivating - nice job I hope they keep going.
  14. NathanS.
    Jul 16, 2009
    9
    Meg White, eat your heart out. Jack is at home behind a kit, that's obvious. While for the most part, the songs lack the simple charm of a Stripes' tune, and at times it seems eager to please, one cannot deny the rawn viciousness of the tracks. The guitar fades out of your ear like a firework, and Alison Mosshart's screech draws you in the way Janis Joplin would. I Meg White, eat your heart out. Jack is at home behind a kit, that's obvious. While for the most part, the songs lack the simple charm of a Stripes' tune, and at times it seems eager to please, one cannot deny the rawn viciousness of the tracks. The guitar fades out of your ear like a firework, and Alison Mosshart's screech draws you in the way Janis Joplin would. I couldn't be more impressed.… Expand
  15. NeilP.
    Jul 17, 2009
    2
    Definitely sounds like it was cut in 3 weeks. Jack White needs to slow down and take a break.
  16. KevinC.
    Jul 17, 2009
    7
    While it isn't the White Stripes, Jack white still manages to make things interesting.
  17. criagr.
    Jul 18, 2009
    9
    By far the best new record i have heard in the 2000's its rooted in older music with out sounding derivative and has a diffrent sound in this age of cookie cutter corporate controlled crap.
  18. ChanceH
    Jul 18, 2009
    9
    As much as I admire all of Jack White's projects, I've found that - as a music fan - I've never found any sonic unity in any White Stripes or Raconteurs album (the exception here being the Stripes' amazing "Elephant"). The Dead Weather, however, proves to be the anti-Raconteurs in that it strays away from the poppishness of both of White's previous bands. To As much as I admire all of Jack White's projects, I've found that - as a music fan - I've never found any sonic unity in any White Stripes or Raconteurs album (the exception here being the Stripes' amazing "Elephant"). The Dead Weather, however, proves to be the anti-Raconteurs in that it strays away from the poppishness of both of White's previous bands. To certain people, though, this is also a downside. But if you're a fan of a unified sound style and the unique sort of artistic expression one can find in the "format" of a well-planned and self-referencing album (Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible" or Sufjan Steven's "Illinoise", for example) then you'll find much more merit in this album than the average person might. "Horehound" - and the Dead Weather, I suppose - is a nice way for Jack White to round out his current discography. The album brings something fresh to the table, a sort of funk-goth-alt-rock designed for the hardcore, and The Dead Weather deserves to be praised for it.… Expand
  19. Vampire25
    Jan 8, 2011
    9
    The Dead Weather is better than White's other side project The Raconteurs. It's a lot stranger than anything Jack White has ever done before. Sounds different from The Raconteurs and doesn't even come close to The White Stripes. But everything about this album sounds great. "I Cut Like A Buffalo" is a strange, blues jam that is just great. "Treat Me Like Your Mother" is another greatThe Dead Weather is better than White's other side project The Raconteurs. It's a lot stranger than anything Jack White has ever done before. Sounds different from The Raconteurs and doesn't even come close to The White Stripes. But everything about this album sounds great. "I Cut Like A Buffalo" is a strange, blues jam that is just great. "Treat Me Like Your Mother" is another great track. Allison Mosshart's vocals sound amazing. All In All, The Dead Weather's debut album Horehound is a great album that needs to be listened too. A-… Expand
  20. Ricko
    Nov 22, 2011
    7
    Some good Rock on here to be fair but also some average stuff. Some of it not so good. Like most "Super Groups" you'd be much better off listening to any of the members "mother" bands though.

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Most Discussed Album of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Observer Music Monthly
    60
    Despite the speed at which it came together, the album sounds as polished. But sometimes you wish he would reach beyond his grab-bag of influences and push out something with shocks-a-mighty.
    Read full review
  2. Alternative Press
    80
    There's no denying the quartet know how to work a mighty groove as well as set up atmospheres similar to bands remanded to the faded pages of old record-collecting magazines. [July 2009, p.126]
  3. Mojo
    80
    As you hit repeat to hear Horehound for the umpteenth time, what's remarkable is that these 11 tunes, with their sonic curveballs and causl vim, suggest that a second Dead Weather LP would be almost as welcome as the White Stripes' seventh. [Jul 2009, p.90]
See all critic reviews »