Help Us Stranger

Help Us Stranger is the third studio album by American rock band The Raconteurs. It was released on June 21, 2019, through Third Man Records, their first studio album in 11 years following Consolers of the Lonely (2008). The album was recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and mixed at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. It was produced by the band, engineered by Joshua V. Smith, and mixed by Vance Powell.^[3]

Help Us Stranger
Studio album by The Raconteurs
Released	June 21, 2019 (2019-06-21)
Recorded	June 2018 – January 2019
Studio	Third Man, Nashville
Genre	Blues rock^[1] garage rock^[2]
Length	41:14
Label	Third Man
Producer	The Raconteurs
The Raconteurs chronology
Consolers of the Lonely (2008) Help Us Stranger (2019)
Singles from Help Us Stranger
"Sunday Driver" / "Now That You're Gone" Released: December 19, 2018 "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" Released: April 10, 2019 "Help Me Stranger" Released: May 17, 2019 "Bored and Razed" Released: June 10, 2019 "Somedays (I Don't Feel Like Trying)" Released: September 7, 2019

Promotion and release

On the tenth anniversary of the band's second studio album, Consolers of the Lonely released in 2008, Third Man announced a re-issue of the album, along with two previously unreleased songs, "Sunday Driver" and "Now That You're Gone" were released as double A-side singles.^[4] Both songs received videos, which were shot a week before the release.^[5] On April 2, 2019, the album artwork, along with its track listing and release date were announced. On April 10, "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)", a cover of the Donovan song, premiered on Bandcamp.^[6] Two days later, it was also made available on other platforms. On September 5, 2019 the band performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and performed the single "Only Child", as well as "Shine the Light on Me".^[7][8]

A limited edition LP release with lenticular cover art was sent out to Third Man Vault subscribers. This edition features a parodic photoshop of the original "butcher" cover for the Beatles' 1966 studio album Yesterday and Today, in which the Raconteurs' heads are pasted atop John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr; the artwork is hidden beneath the lenticular print, mirroring Capitol Records' method of censoring the "butcher" cover, thus requiring buyers to peel it off in order to reveal the image.^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.5/10^[10]
Metacritic	81/100^[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[12]
Chicago Tribune	^[13]
Consequence of Sound	B^[14]
DIY	^[15]
Exclaim!	8/10^[16]
The Guardian	^[17]
NME	^[1]
Pitchfork	6.4/10^[18]
Rolling Stone	^[19]
Slant Magazine	^[20]

Help Us Stranger received favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 24 reviews.^[11] Loudwire named it one of the 50 best rock albums of 2019.^[21]

Commercial performance

Help Us Stranger debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 88,000 album-equivalent units, of which 84,000 were pure album sales. It was The Raconteurs' first US number-one album.^[22] It has also charted in the top ten in Canada, UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders region).

Track listing

All tracks are written by Brendan Benson and Jack White, except "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" written by Donovan Leitch

Help Us Stranger track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bored and Razed"	3:35
2.	"Help Me Stranger"	3:36
3.	"Only Child"	3:41
4.	"Don't Bother Me"	2:53
5.	"Shine the Light On Me"	3:28
6.	"Somedays (I Don't Feel Like Trying)"	4:06
7.	"Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" (Donovan cover)	2:25
8.	"Sunday Driver"	3:38
9.	"Now That You're Gone"	4:01
10.	"Live a Lie"	2:20
11.	"What's Yours Is Mine"	2:49
12.	"Thoughts and Prayers"	4:42
Total length:		41:14

Third Man Records Vault edition bonus 7"

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Help Me Stranger" (demo)
2.	"Somedays (I Don't Feel Like Trying)" (demo)

Personnel

Personnel adapted from album notes.^[23]

The Raconteurs Jack White – vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer, production Brendan Benson – vocals, guitar, percussion, harmonica, production Jack Lawrence – bass guitar, guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals, production Patrick Keeler – drums, percussion, backing vocals, production Additional musicians Dean Fertita – piano, synthesizers, guitar, organ Lillie Mae Rische – violin Scarlett Rische – mandolin Joshua V. Smith – backing vocals, organ

Technical personnel Michael Fahey – assistant mixing Dusty Fairchild – assistant engineering Vance Powell – mixing The Raconteurs – production, mixing Bill Skibbe – mastering Joshua V. Smith – engineering Other personnel Rob Jones – design, cover art concept Patrick Keeler – photography, design Tristan McNatt – cover art concept Ian Montone – management

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Help Us Stranger Chart (2019) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[24] 23 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[25] 7 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[26] 8 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[27] 26 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[28] 2 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[29] 10 French Albums (SNEP)^[30] 22 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[31] 14 Irish Albums (IRMA)^[32] 24 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[33] 34 Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[34] 84 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[35] 38 Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[36] 28 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[37] 25 Scottish Albums (OCC)^[38] 6 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[39] 18 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[40] 6 UK Albums (OCC)^[41] 8 US Billboard 200^[42] 1 US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)^[43] 1 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[44] 1

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Help Us Stranger Chart (2019) Position US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[45] 53

References

1. Trendell, Andrew (June 20, 2019). "The Raconteurs – 'Help Us Stranger' review". NME. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
2. Ruskin, Zack (June 20, 2019). "Album Review: The Raconteurs' 'Help Us Stranger'". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
3. "The Raconteurs Return with New Album, Help Us Stranger".
4. . Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
5. . Archived from the original on 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
6. "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)".
7. "The Raconteurs Perform On "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"". Headline Planet. 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
8. The Raconteurs: Shine the Light on Me, retrieved 2019-09-05
9. Willman, Chris (23 June 2019). "Raconteurs Salute Beatles With 'Butcher Cover' Parody Hidden Within New LP Sleeve". Variety. Michelle Sobrino-Stearns & Dea Lawrence. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
10. "Help Us Stranger by The Raconteurs reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
11. "Help Us Stranger by The Raconteurs Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
12. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Help Us Stranger – The Raconteurs". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
13. Kot, Greg (June 21, 2019). "Review: Raconteurs reconvene and Jack White regains his stride on 'Help Us Stranger'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
14. Clark, Tyler (June 21, 2019). "The Raconteurs Remain Steady as She Goes on Help Us Stranger". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
15. Wright, Lisa (June 21, 2019). "The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger | Reviews". DIY. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
16. Hudson, Alex (June 18, 2019). "The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
17. Aroesti, Rachel (June 21, 2019). "The Raconteurs: Help Us Stranger review – classic rock undone by aggro". The Guardian. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
18. Thomas, Peyton (June 26, 2019). "The Raconteurs: Help Us Stranger Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
19. Fricke, David (June 27, 2019). "The Black Keys and Raconteurs Take Rock Back to the Future". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
20. Winograd, Jeremy (June 12, 2019). "Review: The Raconteurs's Help Us Stranger Is a Robust Return to Form". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
21. "The 50 Best Rock Albums of 2019". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. December 5, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
22. Caulfield, Keith (June 30, 2019). "The Raconteurs Land First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Help Us Stranger'". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
23. Third Man Records (2019). Help Us Stranger (album liner notes). The Raconteurs. Third Man Records.
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27. "Ultratop.be – The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
28. "The Raconteurs Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
29. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
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31. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
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33. "Italiancharts.com – The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
34. "ザ・ラカンターズ". Oricon. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
35. "Charts.nz – The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
36. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
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38. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
39. "Spanishcharts.com – The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
40. "Swisscharts.com – The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
41. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
42. "The Raconteurs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
43. "The Raconteurs Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
44. "The Raconteurs Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
45. "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2020.