The Black Keys – Brothers
My interest in Blues Rock duo The Black Keys is fairly new. Like many I assume, I became intrigued after hearing their 2006 single “Your Touch” in TV and movies like Eastbound and Down and Zombieland. I’ll admit I was hesitant about devoting my time to yet another bare bones guitar/drum combo but I gave em a try a while back and still haven’t looked back.
Akron, Ohio’s The Black Keys for the most part specialize in Southern Blues Rock but haven’t pigeonholed themselves strictly within that genre. For they’ll just as easy switch over to a more mainstream rock or even R&B or soul sound on any given track, they even cover Isaac Hayes! That’s one of the key aspects that makes Brothers such a bluesy good time, they always keep ya guessing
Despite being a guitar/drum duo The Black Keys don’t mind throwing in bass on just about every track and plenty of keyboard and organ. They maintain a basic approach but it’s the subtleties of the production, Dan Auerbach’s guitar work and Patrick Carney’s drums that keep it rockin’ and never boring. Got to give props to co-producer Danger Mouse as well, he sure gets around huh?
With the release of Brothers I finally declare myself a Black Keys fan. It’s a unique piece of rock with no shortage of throwbacks to rock and roll of yesteryear. The only real problem is it’s a little long but without a weak track in sight. So if you like crunchy riffs, tight jams and howlin’ vocals check out Brothers and let loose.
Favorite Tracks: “Everlasting Light”, “The Only One”, “Tighten Up”