As with the last three, this review is dedicated to 5StringJeff, in hopes that he'll come around to the greatness that is Jack and Meg White.

This album is a strong return to form by the Stripes. After their last album, which confused a lot of fans (it traded in guitars for dark piano ditties, and for the record, I loved it), they've come back to their classic form in a ferocious way. This has the classic White Stripes sound, one part classic blues, one part Led Zeppelin. They branch out some, but most of these songs could've easily fit onto White Blood Cells or Elephant. The biggest difference is the drum work, which, while still extremely basic, has benefitted from a fuller, more bombastic sound. They've also added another dynamic, a sound that I cannot place: it's either a highly synthesized guitar or a highly electrified organ. It's on the single, "Icky Thump", as well as a few other songs. It's a weird, unique sound that spices up the songs nicely.

The album's not perfect. There are three or four songs toward the end of the album that just seem like filler. The riff from "You Don't Know What Love is (You Just Do What You're Told)" borrows pretty liberally from Bad Company's "Shooting Star", and "Rag and Bone" sounds quite a bit like "Hot For Teacher", right down to the spoken-word verses (it should be noted, though, that these are two of my favorite songs on the album). And, oddly, there's an out-of-the-blue political statement, which is way out of character for Jack White's lyrics. The final verse of "Icky Thump" changes the song from a typical White Stripes song about a sexy senorita to an anti-anti-immigration song. So, if that sort of thing irritates you, there's that.

But, overall, it's a great rock album, something the mainstream really needs at this point.