The Black Keys - 'Let's Rock'

The Black Kets
'Let's Rock'
2019
Spotify

The thing about The Black Keys is you typically get what you expect. They are not the types to make a wide left turn or completely change their sound to conform with modern tastes. Their most recent albums produced by Danger Mouse managed to find a slick middle ground, without compromising the band's rock and roll sound. I've made the claim more than a few times here that nothing sounds as stale or played out than Rock, but somehow The Black Keys have managed to bring it right back around on this new record. No wheels are being reinvented here, but damn does a plain ol good rock and roll song sound good in 2019. "Lo/Hi" the albums first single is a straight up ZZ Top romp. As the duo bangs out guitar riff after guitar riff and the two backup singers project all the way over the entire thing. It's a wall of pure analogue sound that is just what the doctor ordered. These songs unlike a lot of rock focus on being concise and direct rather than fooling around and jamming until something emerges from the muck. This album doesn't fool around or try to be something greater than it's parts. Being confined to this tight little rock and roll box allows The Black Keys to somehow feel more unburdened and free.  It's the lack of experimentation that makes this record somehow experimental (I'm using the term extremely lightly here), bucking what they should do in order to do whatever the hell they want.

High tempo or slow each one of these songs feel entirely warm and approachable. Songs like "Go" are made for driving or some kind of driving scene in a movie, everything here just feels right for the summer. It ends up being just a entirely fun romp that can eaisly slip into the background of your next part or be sung and danced too at full volume. I won't say those infamous words "Rock is Back!" but i will say that after five years The Black Keys are definitely back!

8.6 out of 10