Sometimes taking a break can be just what the doctor ordered. Hell, Jack and Meg White probably know that better than anyone else, especially now that everyone knows that they are ex-husband and wife and not brother and sister. Their last record, Get Behind Me Satan sounded like a band that was hovering on burnout. Besides "Blue Orchid," I can't remember a single song on that record that I really loved. I think the band realized it as well, because before you could utter the word hiatus, Jack was off with his new band The Raconteurs and Meg was . . . well . . . off doing whatever it is Meg does besides drumming.

Now that Jack is back with a new wife and a new residence (he now calls Nashville home instead of Detroit) you can hear in The White Stripes' new album Icky Thump that his passion for playing this style of garage-infected Blues has been revitalized. The opening self-titled track is oh so tasty packed as it is with downright nasty guitar licks, as is Side B standout "Catch Hell Blues." The biggest standout on the flipside however is "Rag and Bone," an insanely funny tune that finds Meg and Jack trying to bum junk off of people at their houses. This may very well be my favorite White Stripes track of all time, even more so than "Fell In Love With a Girl." Jack and Meg even tackle a cover of Patti Page's "Conquest" complete with a mariachi horn/guitar duel that's one for the ages. Jack even brings in mandolin guitar and bagpipes for "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn," a love-letter to his own Scottish heritage. This is just the tip of the iceberg because there isn't a single dud to be found on Icky Thump. It's without a doubt their greatest album since they took the world by storm in 2001 with their essential White Blood Cells. Simply put, do yourself a favor and buy it immediately - if you haven't already.