Review by Josh Felty
Rating: *****
I've heard of The Black Keys, but now I'm convinced--especially after having a listen to their latest record, Brothers--their pure, bluesy sound is nothing short of a miracle. You could easily compare them to, say, The White Stripes (another favorite of mine). But I hear different. There's something ethereal in both their stylings, but with The Black Keys there are astounding little nods to everything from Motown soul to the psychedelic-infused musings of Jimi Hendrix. And I promised in the beginning to not make any comparisons. Comparisons or not, all the right impressions have been made on this lowly music reviewer. Brothers starts with the gospel-like "Everlasting Life" and commences right down the line with the soulful "Next Girl" and foot-stomping, kazoo sing-a-long in "Howlin' For You". Perhaps tapping into some Southern rock fount (The Keys hail from Akron, Ohio...close enough) we're presented with the outstanding "She's Long Gone". This song immediately paints detailed moving portraits of a stunning young woman making her way past, strutting her stuff. The lyric and grinding blues riffs take you back; I kept reminding myself--pinching, in an inner-ear sort of way--that this is a modern recording. At times, the lead singer, Dan Auerbach, channels a wide range of soulful tinges, encompassing everything and nothing at the same time. In that way, The Black Keys seem to have a handle on what they're doing (very similar to The White Stripes, though The Stripes tend to bend toward more chaotic outbursts of bluesy garage rock). In that respect, you have to trust that sort of musical approach. Daring while paying respects to the roots of modern rock music, which all started in the Deltas and backwaters of the South, the back-porches and crossroads of an ever-changing social construct. That influence poured from the African-American and found its way into the hearts and tunes of every facet of music from bluegrass to jazz and rockabilly. Not that I have to give a thorough history of modern rock music to drive home my point. Which is to say, the fun doesn't stop with this album. "Ten Cent Pistol" plods along with the passion and vibrancy of some long-lost Woodstock dance along, its smooth funk illuminating a dark underbelly. You can hear the glee and enduring love behind this record, especially by the time "Sinister Kid" and "I'm Not the One" queue up, even though the latter is slower. That's the magic of such "throwback" music; there's a cross-generational understanding and translation, whille a new collective of thoughts and dreams and subject matter jump out. I applaud groups with this sound, rough as it may seem by today's fancy digital recording means. There's a primal energy in that Leslie guitar sound, the ball 'n biscuit microphone and its rich clarity, the heavenly echoes and distortions. I loved this one from the first listen; with such lush collections, you always catch onto new sounds upon each subsequent listen. This release should be no different. Reminds me of picking through some of the later Beatles records for subtle nuances. I plan on listening to Brothers, and more than likely more of The Black Keys' music, enough times to hear it in my head without an MP3 player in tow. That's true magic, friends.