Powerstars

I was just a bit interested in The White Stripes for too long. After reading Trollheart's review of Elephant and finding it was considered a classic, I decided I needed to judge for myself. Trollheart himself thought it was good, but not a classic, which got me a bit more interested. If it was good, but not great, why would the people hail it as a classic? Once again, my brother had a copy, so I popped that sucker into the disc drive and started to judge it.

1. Seven Nation Army
Hey, I've heard this song before, but I can't remember where. That's because, the melody, while catchy, fails to stick in my head for very long. It's catchy but not catchy enough. Don't get me wrong: I liked the song. But it's missing something. Solo is also good, but this song isn't terribly special. Oh BTW, that bass riff isn't a bass riff at all. It's a guitar riff that got messed with. Oh Jack White, creative one.

2. Black Math
Ooh, from the opening seconds, I know this is gonna be a solid rocker. Jack White's vocal performance is quite good. The fast riff in this song (the one that opens the song and appears various times throughout) is solid and really helps carry that sick solo that this song gives us. Listen to the song and you'll know what I'm talking about.

3. There's No Home For You Here
The song that the label wanted to release as a single, this one shows various Beatles influences, which I'm a sucker for, like the harmonies. The verses also remind me of an earlier hit by the band, "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground." It's a pretty good song. My favorite thing about the song is the guitar solo with the keyboards popping up. I'm noticing a pattern of Jack White being very good at crafting solos.

4. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
This is a cover, apparently. I'm noticing that in this song, Meg White's fantastic drumming is really helping things along. Also Jack White screams sometimes. Yay. Solid cover of a song I've never heard.

5. In The Cold, Cold Night
"Hey," says Jack White to Mr. Producer Man, "let's give Meg a song to sing." And they did just that. Granted, this is a cool little song. The song is surprisingly laidback, and Meg's voice actually complements that. Also, the organ fill/solo is awesome, and this band should have used organs more often. It really helps the almost bluesy feel the song has. It's a solid track and one that actually really helps the album.

6. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart
Okay...what's with that title and these lyrics. What in the name of all that is holy was Jack White thinking when he added these lyrics to this song. Granted, the song is good. It's, again, a bit bluesy, and Jack's vocals are solid, but the lyrics kinda ruin it.

7. You've Got Her In Your Pocket
A heartwarming acoustic song. Yup, the album is chilling out. It's cool, but the lyrics are kinda creepy. "I wanna keep you in my pocket...where there's no way out." Dude, creepy!

8. Ball And Biscuit
Ah, every album needs a long epic rockin' song right?...SHUT UP AND DON'T ANSWER THAT! This song's about drugs, don't believe me, look it up. Jack White talking through the song is actually pretty cool for a more ELECTRIC blues song. Yeah, they went there. The jam portions are freaking fantastic, and I love them. This song is so good that in a poll by Rolling Stone, it was vote Jack White's best song, and this man has written some good stuff. It's just fantastic. Surprisingly, it also doesn't even overstay it's welcome. At 7 minutes, it just seems to pass by like every other song on the album.

9. The Hardest Button To Button
We open with an almost spacey kinda vibe. Slower, but still rocking out. We do get some sort of synth in the background that I notice, unless the bass is under lots of reverb of something. It really adds something to the song. Pretty good.

10. Little Acorns
And here we are, starting with a speech, and then an oddly sounding piano which morphs into the full band. This is the song I can imagine at one moment bobbing your head slightly, and at the next moment moshing like mad. Yup, it's one of those songs.

11. Hypnotize
And here we, another fast. This is a song for your party playlists. Get wild to this one. It's catchy, it's fast, it's awesome.

12. The Air Near My Fingers
Okay, this is a lot like "There's No Home For You Here" but less awesome. It's still pretty good though. But not much to say on it. Doo doo, doodoodoodoo doo doo. Organs are nice though.

13. Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
The song is somewhere in between incredibly bad ass and incredibly hilarious. I just love it. I mean, it's a bad ass rock song about a girl who has no faith in medicine. I just don't know what to (do with myself) say!

14. It's True That We Love One Another
Quirky collaboration between the 2 White Stripes and Holly Golightly. It's extremely cheesy and weird and that's why I love it. The delivery of Meg's lines is wonderful and the line "Y'know I gave that horse a carrot so he'd break your foot" is awesome. Good way to end this album.

Conclusion: I pretty much agree with Trollheart's stance that this is a good album, but not a classic, though I give it more credit. It's a very enjoyable ride.

Final Score: 75/100 (Get it)

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