Brendan Benson
My Old, Familiar Friend
(ATO)

Unfortunately for him, Brendan Benson remains one of the best kept secrets of modern pop rock. You may know him as "the other guy" in the Raconteurs, the band he formed with his friend Jack White, or perhaps you know one of his songs from commercials and movies. Or maybe you were a fan back in 1996, when Virgin gave him a deal, had power pop genius Jason Falkner write songs with him, then dropped him due to poor sales. Somehow, Benson remains on the underground, stuck on an indie label, failing to sell out small venues. Luckily for his fans, he's still doing what he does best: making great pop music.

"A Whole Lot Better," the lead track and single, is way more energized than anything on 2005's The Alternative to Love. Songs like "Feel Like Taking You Home" and "Borrow" prove that the Raconteurs weren't entirely Jack White's baby, contrary to popular belief. "Borrow," the record's best song, shuffles along for a minute before kicking into a rocking, catchy as hell chorus. It's one of those songs where the verses and the bridge are so damn catchy that other artists would kill to have them as choruses, not to mention the spastic, cathartic solo Benson unleashes near the end. He also touches on glam rock ("Don't Wanna Talk") and Motown ("Garbage Day"), both welcome expansions of his sound.

The Alternative to Love was good, but felt a little undercooked and could've benefited from input from someone other than Benson. Luckily, he sought an outside producer (Gil Norton) and musicians (members of Ben Folds' band, the Dead Weather and the Features) to play on this record. He's made another great record, maybe this time the world notices.—Layne Montgomery