For their latest, Akron, Ohio duo The Black Keys have brought forth an EP of six songs by Junior Kimbrough. This is no mere dalliance; the late elder Mississippi blues musician was a powerful influence on guitarist Dan Aue... more »rbach and drummer Patrick Carney. Their three previous albums, full of dusty grooves and simple but impassioned dynamics, would have found strong rapport with Kimbrough, who unfortunately died before they could ever meet. However, his widow, Mildred gives her passionate endorsement for these performances in the form of a short phone message that appears at the end of the disc. Among the highpoints is "Meet Me in the City," which positively shimmers as the plaintive vocal soars over a virato-ed guitar. The Black Keys, besides paying their heartfelt respects, also demonstrate the breadth and durability of Kimbrough's music. --David Greenberger« less
For their latest, Akron, Ohio duo The Black Keys have brought forth an EP of six songs by Junior Kimbrough. This is no mere dalliance; the late elder Mississippi blues musician was a powerful influence on guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. Their three previous albums, full of dusty grooves and simple but impassioned dynamics, would have found strong rapport with Kimbrough, who unfortunately died before they could ever meet. However, his widow, Mildred gives her passionate endorsement for these performances in the form of a short phone message that appears at the end of the disc. Among the highpoints is "Meet Me in the City," which positively shimmers as the plaintive vocal soars over a virato-ed guitar. The Black Keys, besides paying their heartfelt respects, also demonstrate the breadth and durability of Kimbrough's music. --David Greenberger
"This is a great EP and more than worth the money it costs. You need to keep in mind though that this is not your typical Black Keys album. It actually sounds more like their first album The Big Come Up than their last album Rubber Factory. This album has the rawness of their first album and is not as polished as Rubber Factory. To me this is a good thing though. I love rough and raw music. This is also why it is so cool that they are doing Junior Kimbrough songs. Kimbrough is probably one of the rawest blue artists ever and the Black Keys really capture his sound and even take it a step further by using their distorted guitar and raw backbone drumming. If you don't know Junior Kimbrough he is really worth checking out but you need to be aware that some of his songs "wander" a bit, meaning that they aren't clean, concise, and under three minutes. The same is true for the songs on this album. Overall though I think this is one of the best efforts the Black Keys have offered yet."
Just Another Fantastic BK Album
Stfu Donney | New York | 06/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Everything these guys have put out is gold. If your favorite White Stripes song is Ball and Biscuit you'll love the Black Keys. I recommend starting with the Big Come Up and working your way through the albums to this one.
If they don't play a small venue in or around NYC soon I will cry. For a band that sounds like this to open for Radiohead in MSG for $70 a pop is a joke."
Speechless..........
TBC | Georgia | 09/26/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't read or write reviews, but this is beyond music. I made the mistake of listening to this on my I-pod at work and the trance-like state it produced was detrimental to my daily corporate productivity. I closed my office door and pretended to be hard at work and listened to this album from start to finish continuously for 8 hours. I wept during "Meet me in the City" on the third and fourth listens and was emotionally spent and drained by the end of the day. This takes human pain and suffering and longing and even joy; things that are usually inutterable and inexpressible and puts them into music. Junior had something inside him and music was the only way he could get to it and bring out. Thank God for Junior and The Black Keys."
The Big Pay Back
An old rock & roller | The Rubber City | 01/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm very proud of the boys for putting this one out. It's a fitting tribute. Dan's love of Junior is real, and the result is a perfect blending of Junior and the Black Keys. If you ever spent a night at Junior's Juke Joint, in Chulahoma, then you know the meaning of psychadelic soul; and the boys captured that feeling perfectly. The music is primitive, hypnotic and sexual. If you want the same old, worn out 12 bar blues, don't buy this cd. If you want honest, raw and deeply felt blues, buy this cd, and another one by Junior himself. This music comes with the seal of approval from Junior's widow, Mildred. You can't get any higher praise than that. I have strong feelings about this one. I wish more musicians would try to pay back the elders who inspired them. Hat's off to Dan and Pat!!"