Despite their scuzzy appeal, the Dead Weather’s previous two albums have tended to fall a little short of Jack White’s usual vertiginous quality standards. Third time around, frontwoman Alison Mosshart has located her inner ballsy blueswoman (as opposed to her inner chain-smoking indie-rock vamp) on tracks such as the Led Zep-alike I Feel Love (Every Million Miles); the interplay between guitarist Dean Fertita and bassist Jack Lawrence has been sluiced free of sludge. As a result, Dodge and Burn bristles with clarity of riff, hook and tune and showcases the frankly ridiculous drumming ability of White himself. Impossible Winner, meanwhile, closes the album with a totally unexpected Mosshart piano ballad that would not sound amiss on a James Bond soundtrack.
