The White Stripes

"Blue Orchid" is a scam. The White Stripes' first single from Get Behind Me Satan has fooled thousands of radio listeners with fuzzed-out guitar, falsetto vocals and big, banging drums, and anybody who buys the duo's fifth album expecting another guitar-loaded affair is in for a grand piano-sized surprise. Singer Jack White is all ivory here, and though he's made his love for piano clear in other albums, many of Satan's songs forgo guitar entirely. That doesn't mean White has grown soft; these songs do Jerry Lee Lewis proud. In sticky-sweet singles "My Doorbell" and "The Denial Twist," White's shout-along choruses and rock-and-roll piano are only a few notes shy of a "Tutti Frutti" freak-out. Worry not, garage fans, as White still whales, and when he emulates Prince, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, he simultaneously, well, doesn't. White has never been shy about his influences, but on Satan, his songwriting has become fearless. Doesn't matter if he's playing marimbas, piano or banjo: White makes every genre in his path his bitch.