The Black Keys

CAN'T. STOP. LISTENING. TO. THE. BLACK. KEYS.

If Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters created a prodigy child, the bundle of joy would be called The Black Keys. I recently did a photo shoot where The Black Keys just so happened to be cranked over the speakers. The perfect blend of rock and blues set the mood for a mellow atmosphere that day. After four hours of posing, wardrobe changes and hair/makeup touch ups, you would think another TBK song would be the last thing I'd want to hear. Au contraire, I ended up going home and uploading all their albums onto my iPod.

The band is surprisingly composed of only two men. Dan Auerbach is the bearded guitarist with the enticing voice and Patrick Carney is the talented man behind the drum set. The Ohio natives create loose songs oozing with soul and meaningful lyrics.

I find lots of bands slack in the lyrical department. There's an overload of musical garbage out there where artists just fill songs with empty words. However, with the release of their sixth album, Brothers, produced in Alabama's famous Muscle Shoals Sound studio, it's nice to know TBK stay true to the old school blues style with songs revolving around troubled women and classic heartache. The lyrics are honest and very well thought out. I constantly have one of their tunes stuck in my head and this is why TBK has easily become one of my all-time favourite bands.

The band is often compared to The White Stripes as both have similar sounds possibly attributing to the fact both are duos using vocals, guitar and drums. I personally like them much better than the White Stripes though. It's not that often you find a band where you adore every single song they offer. Regardless of a heavier rocker song or one of their soft melodies, they always exude tons of energy into their music and even more in their performances. Seriously though, from watching some of their videos (such as the last YouTube I posted at the bottom of this article) it's apparent they get quite the workout from jamming on stage. They make me want to trade in my gym membership and join a band.

TBK also have a quality following including Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett to name a few. This band is definitely worth checking out. I'm sure if you hear one song, you'll want to hear them all. At least that's what happened to me.

Here's a little taste....

This is a tune off their latest album.

I like this one too!