THE BLACK KEYS: Delta Kream (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

It's not news to say that The Black Keys are fans of the blues, especially Dan Auerbach. On their first album ("The Big Come Up" - 2002), the duo had already covered Junior Kimbrough's song, 'Do The Romp', which became 'Do The Rump'. For their new album, the Americans decided to dedicate themselves only to the exercise of the cover with eleven titles drawn from the repertoire of the Mississippi Hill Country Blues. For this, Auerbach and Carney offered themselves the services of two experts of the genre with Eric Deaton on bass and Kenny Brown on slide guitar.

Recorded live, mostly in one take, in Dan Auerbach's studio, the tenth album of the Akron (Ohio) duo is entitled "Delta Kream" and is a tribute to this very particular genre based on regular, even repetitive riffs. But if the legend of the style is John Lee Hooker, it is Junior Kimbrough who is honored here with five tracks. Even the interpretation of Hooker's 'Crawling Kingsnake' is heavily influenced by his 1994 version. 'Stay All Night' lets its silhouettes appear behind mists of heat with stirring vocals and blinding guitars. 'Do The Romp' becomes more teasing, 'Sad Days, Lonely Nights' captures the attention as well as the spirit of the legends of the genre, and 'Walk With Me' appears bouncy and catchy. Finally, 'Come And Go With Me' spreads its melancholy, both plaintive and disillusioned.

If the exercise of the cover is both risky and limited, The Black Keys do it very well by transcribing perfectly the roots and hypnotic spirit of the eleven tracks offered. It is regularly possible to hear the musicians making some adjustments before starting to play, or discussing at the end of some tracks. And one can imagine oneself at the wheel of an old convertible on the dusty roads of the South during 'Poor Boy A Long Way From Home' with its deep vocals and its luminous guitars. On 'Going Down South', another R.L. Burnside cover, Dan Auerbach uses falsetto vocals and Ray Jacildo comes in with a few organ lines. 'Coal Black Mattie' (Ranie Burnette) presses the gas pedal and the pair Auerbach / Brown distils an infectious energy. Finally, Big Joe Williams' 'Mellow Peaches' is a mid-tempo that develops itself in an overheated atmosphere maintained by the complementarity of the guitars and the organ.

"Delta Kream" is a respectful and talented tribute to the most traditional blues. The Black Keys and their guests have perfectly captured the spirit of the most legendary figures of the genre and offer here a superb journey through the dusty and burning landscapes of the Deep South. Without being revolutionary, this opus is nevertheless a superb spotlight on this so particular and hypnotic facet of the original blues. - Official website

THE BLACK KEYS

DELTA KREAM

AUTRE LABEL

ROCK