The Black Keys are my Ohio homeboys. And for most of the last decade they have been releasing some stellar north Mississippi hill country inspired blues. There was The Big Come Up (2002), Thickfreakness (2003), Rubber Factory (2004), Magic Potion (2006) and Attack & Release (2008). Their musical trajectory over the last decade was about normal for two white guys who quit their day jobs of mowing lawn to tour the country in a hatch back and play beat up blues music. The first album was rough but showed potential, the second album was inspired, albums three and four were a bit of a let down before they recovered with the decade's final album. By the time the Black Keys released the DJ Dangermouse produced Attack & Release, the boys from Akron had built a solid name for themselves, cultivating a serious fan base with years of nonstop touring. Out of all of the Black Keys' albums, I find Thickfreakness the most intriguing. It was much tighter than The Big Come Up yet they hadn't felt the need to widen their sound as they would on later releases. Thickfreakness was just a straight-ahead blues album, full of dirt and grit. Just a guitar and drums, bashing out the rock as Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside would have intended it.
Leave a comment