JennJoy's Full Review: Thickfreakness by The Black Keys
The Akron, Ohio based duo the Black Keys are yet another awesome blues based phenomenon signed to Epitaph Records shoot off Fat Possum. The people at Fat Possum are responsible for releasing a number of my favorite albums from the past two years, including Grammy winner Solomon Burke’s “Don’t Give Up on Me and more recently Bob Log III’s “Log Bomb. If you like blues music, whether old school or more modern rocked up styles, Fat Possum has an artist you’ll love. If nothing else, I highly recommend heading over to www.fatpossum.com and checking out a few of the free mp3’s the label offers for each of its artists.
The Black Keys are a twosome, featuring Dan Auerbach on guitar & vocals and Patrick Carney on drums. That's right, there's no bass player, but don't go thinking this is the White Stripes or something. These guys are for real and you won't find any gimmicks here. Thickfreakness is the second release from the Black Keys - their fist, The Big Come Up, was released last year on Alive. In true do-it-yourself style, the guys did the recording themselves in a house smack dab in the seediest neighborhood they could find. They completed the album in just over fourteen hours in one straight run. While their music is definitely down and dirty, you'd be surprised how good an album can sound when the moment is captured and the feeling is there. From the sound of Thickfreakness it comes as no surprise that the duo were recently handpicked to open for Sleater Kinney in the States.
The Black Keys play a primitive blend of delta blues and straight up rock n’ roll. All the tracks focus on love in some way or another, but don't be fooled into thinking "love" songs means this is an album full of sappy or whiny tunes. Quite the contrary, Thickfreakness is all about love gone wrong and tortured hearts, all liberally soaked in smoke and whiskey. I'm astounded by the thick sound the Black Keys create - even more so when Auerbach's ultra-soulful and too-wise-for-his-years vocals are thrown in.
The album includes two reverential covers - Junior Kimbrough's "Everywhere I Go" and Richard Berry's "Have Love Will Travel." Both are mighty tasty interpretations, but they are only an added bonus on this already magnificent album. Superior tracks like "Hard Row" and "Everywhere I Go" bring new meaning to the word grunge with chugging guitar work and on target percussion. "Midnight is in Her Eyes" tones it down just a little bit in order to bring in more of a soft groove while other songs like "Set You Free" have a decidedly retro feel and remind me of some of Jimi Hendrix's work. Little cracks and hisses throughout the recording add to the duo's primordial sound.
Still in their early twenties, Auerbach and Carney have a lot going for them and they have the chops to make an enduring career out of their music. Thickfreakness is unyielding from start to finish - which is a good thing in a world filled with one-hit wonders and flash in the pan musical fads. Easily one of the best albums I've heard so far in 2003, the Black Keys are a must-have for true fans of good blues or rock music.
Track Listing:
Thickfreakness
Hard Row
Set You Free
Midnight in Her Eyes
Have Love Will Travel
Hurt Like Mine
Everywhere I Go
No Trust
If You See Me
Hold Me in Your Arms
I Cry Alone
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.