Review of Icky Thump

Get Behind Me Satan may have gotten the backs of some of the more rabid White Stripes fans up, but Icky Thump goes back to the duo’s ’70s-style garage roots with no screwballs thrown. Jack White reclaims his crown as one of the best songwriters alive right now, while Meg’s plodding, troglodyte beat and bare mix keep any pretensiousness at bay. It seems that Jack has gotten his yah-yahs out with the Raconteurs over the past two years, and comes back to the White Stripes with a renewed sense of purpose on what’s probably their strongest release yet.

9/10