Detroit sibling pair The White Stripes has taken the success of their minimalist rock ?n? roll to new heights with their third album, “White Blood Cells.” The duo brings a sound that returns to the basics of good music, while refusing to build over that foundation.

The brother and sister team of Jack and Meg White came together as a band in 1997 and created a sound that encompassed traditional blues, folk and rock, all at once. They shook up the Detroit underground with their self-titled debut album in 1999 and now, their relentless dedication to simplicity along with the red and white peppermint candy motifs that dominate their albums, singles and stage shows has brought the Stripes within earshot of the mainstream music scene.

The album covers all of the expected range of rock song topics: love, hate, loss, and faith. The first track, “Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground,” is driven by powerfully dark guitar with hints of classic Led Zeppelin. The second track, “Hotel Yorba,” and the first single from the album, uses its catching rhythm and familiar folk sound to convince open ears to listen.

While there are a few low moments at “Expecting and The Union Forever,” the project gains momentum with “The Same Boy You?ve Always Known,” and “Little Room,” an intriguingly uncomplicated eight lines of genius aimed at the stars of the music industry. The album peaks with “We?re Going to be Friends,” the story of two kids meeting on the first day of school. This song is supported solely by Jack White?s acoustic guitar, and with lyrics like “brand new shoes, walking blues, climb the fence, books and pens,” along with his light, carrying voice, he manages to send us all back to elementary school for three minutes.

Jack takes credit for guitar, vocals, and piano, while Meg fills in the gaps with adequate percussion. Jack?s voice has a gravelly abrasiveness that gives an extra bolt of energy to his words, and his ability to lose that edge, and drop himself into soft, feminine sound, keeps the songs from running together. It?s this range of sound, along with Jack?s freedom to write both music and lyrics outside of the normal parameters of independent rock, that are the treasures of this album.

It?s only two people and three instruments, and the drummer?s best quality is that she has learned to play within her limits. Still, The White Stripes? simple plan has worked well enough to create an album that doesn?t sound like it?s missing anything. More than that, “White Blood Cells” is an album that includes everything.