Dear Life CD

Fans of The Raconteurs should be incredibly grateful at Brendan Benson's latest solo effort. Seemingly channeling some of the erratic chaos we associate with bandmate Jack White, while still not forgetting that the pair worked well together because Benson offered a tamer counterpoint, 'Dear Life' is his farthest-reaching, most experimental effort to date. It stops short of jarring and alienating anyone, though. Songs such as 'Baby's Eyes' are as universally accessible as rock gets, 'Good To Be Alive' introduces electronic synth elements to create a pop smash hit in the making, complete with sing-along chorus, while 'Half A Boy (& Half A Man)' plays with tougher but no less inviting guitar work. Elsewhere, though, the brakes come off on the frantic 'Freak Out', and downtrodden Americana mixes with funk to define 'Evil Eyes'. Hardly par for the course.