White Stripes' newest release shows versatility and maturity

Get Behind Me Satan, more than any of The White Stripes' previous albums, is a shift away from their normally minimalist garage rock into the uncharted territory of the marimba. The charismatic White duo is almost completely unplugged, opting for acoustic guitars, tambourines, pianos and the like. The effects of Jack White's collaboration with Loretta Lynn appear prominently on several tracks, including "Little Ghost," which features not only a banjo but also a most noticeable hoedown twang.

But Satan isn't lacking in the genuine rock the duo is known for; it's simply less rough and unpolished. Tracks like "The Denial Twist" and the oft-played "Blue Orchid" highlight the amazing things the Whites can still do with nothing but a bass drum and an electric guitar. The album's more professional feel is a direct reflection of the matured quality of Jack White's voice. On previous albums (Elephant, White Blood Cells), there was a dichotomy in White's vocals: either fastidiously hard rock or stripped-down melancholy.  On Get Behind Me Satan, White provides more nuances to his singing.

While one no longer has the feeling that White records in a dank basement somewhere in Detroit, it's still easy to feel the sheer power and the spontaneity in his voice and his lyrics. An example is "Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)."  The lyrical premise is simple: "I blew it / And if I knew what to do / Then I'd do it," laments White, who said in a recent Rolling Stone interview that the idea came to him after a phone conversation that ended poorly. It could easily have turned into a whiny and plaintive rant, but it's rescued by White's ability to put an angry edge on what starts off as an apologetic make-up song, thereby saving it from the sizzling inferno in which its clich5fd brethren burn.  

However, the album is not flawless. With a few too-long and oddly bipolar songs (not to mention a strange 40-second feminist rant featuring Meg White's below-par vocals), it fizzles out a bit at the end. Even so, the first half of the album, with gems like "My Doorbell" and "The Nurse," more than makes up for the second half's shortcomings.