Icky Thump | [3.5 stars]
CRITIC'S CHOICE
ALT-ROCK
Often brilliant and never boring, the White Stripes maintain their position as the first couple of alt-rock on Icky Thump. Beginning with a bang on the Zeppelin-esque title track, they seal the deal with the next two songs: the crunching, country-tinged "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)" and the moody, bluesy "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues," on which Jack White moans, "I'm gettin' hard on myself sittin' in my easy chair." Elsewhere they experiment with using mariachi trumpet, bagpipes and even some spoken dialogue before closing with four songs that will keep fans loyal to the red, white and black.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "You Don't Know What Love Is"
Ryan Adams
Easy Tiger | [3 stars]
ALT-COUNTRY
It's easy to take Ryan Adams for granted. The guy puts out such an absurd amount of music—he released three albums (including a double disc) in 2005 alone—that much of his work does not get the attention it deserves. His latest—which, though billed as a solo CD, finds him backed again by the Cardinals—is another worthy effort. While at this point it may seem as if he could toss off an alt-country charmer like "Two" in his sleep, Adams is still capable of the real revelation, as on "I Taught Myself How to Grow Old," where he schools the competition on how to make a heartbreakingly beautiful ballad.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "I Taught Myself How to Grow Old"
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Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
