CD Review: The White Stripes' Icky Thump

Ecky Thump!

What a month for Jack and Meg White of The White Stripes! With Icky Thump in the rearview mirror, they're now reaping the benefits of this chart-topping album, second only to Bon Jovi this week. And for White Stripes fans, Icky Thump comes none too soon. But for non-fans, seeing as you're likely to be pelted with White Stripes this, that, and the other for the rest of the summer, you'd better be in the know.

But before we go on, you might be wondering; just what does "Icky Thump" mean? The term Icky Thump, derived from a Yorkshire, England colloquialism, is basically an expression of mere surprise or disbelief, even something amazing. Decked out in their signature white, black, and red, the Whites couldn't have chosen a better idiom for this album. So here's the 411 on the many sides of Icky Thump; who knows, you could become a White Stripes groupie!

1. Icky Thump: The title song is incomparable to any other, on this album or elsewhere. Armed with immigration satire, political awareness, and edgy Jack White exclusive attitude, Icky Thump drives home a relevant, if not humorous, point. As Meg's drums pulsate, Jack chants a story of an American boy who strays a little too far from home, and ends up regretting it. Rating: 5/5

2. You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told): Jack brings back classic rock days to those of us who didn't get to live them. Nestled somewhere between a gritty Eagles and Cheap Trick, You Don't Know What Love Is takes the album to the next powerful level, crunching in some shred wherever he sees fit to put it. Rating: 5/5

3. 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues: While certainly not their best tune, 300 MPH features a catchy tune as well as a decent riff, which finds Jack tormenting the living daylights out of his guitar for a few seconds. Rating: 2/5

4. Conquest: This cover of Patti Page brings to mind old spaghetti westerns from the forties and fifties, complete with a horn. Unfortunately, Jack's vocals get a smidge grating during this piece, prompting me to turn down the volume during the high notes. Rating: 1/5