31 Reasons The White Stripes “Icky Thump” is the best album of 2007 – Part I.

1) Both my 9 and 6-year old kids have requested “Icky Thump” by name from the backseat of the Jeep. Before it played my daughter told her friend, “This is the weirdest rock song ever. It’s called Icky Thump.”

2) The entire album has a signature sound. The whole bagpipe guitar thing is unlike anything I’ve heard before.

3) “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As Your Told)” sounds like the ‘70s. It’s a big AM Radio, Dazed and Confused, bushy sideburn track that takes you right back. Or takes you there for the first time.

4) When Jack goes off at the end of “You Don’t Know What Love Is” on his guitar solo. It sounds like a dentist drill. But something about it makes you not want the Novocain. It would just dull the pain.

5) Jack White is clearly a guitar God. “Catch Hell Blues” has a mammoth Rob Zombie guitar riff contained just below the surface. It’s as if Jack just wants to let you know he can. One day he will let that shit out. For now his outtakes are better than most band’s best riffs.

6) On “I’m Slowly Turning Into You” he does release the beast. My ears will never be the same. Longing for that AC/DC lava of sound, try this one on for size.

7) Icky Thump has straight ahead rock and it also has odd. “Conquest” reminds me of something you might have heard back on the Dr. Demento radio hour alongside “Fish Heads.” It’s weird in a talkie film kind of way. Like an old Western, only with swords.

8) Jack White is a true creative. He’s the Johnny Depp of rock. Always into interesting projects. Always into interesting sounds. Always delivers.

9) Johnny Depp has France, the White Stripes have Canada. The Icky Thump tour features almost all Canadian shows. Why? Because the White Stripes hadn’t played there and wanted to hit all the Canadian provinces this tour. It’s just what made sense to them. How’s that for rock & roll eccentricity?

10) The words. How about this lyric from “300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues”
“One thing's for sure: in that graveyard I'm gonna have the shiniest pair of shoes.”