The Black Keys

Yield to the return of the power duo. Although the White Stripes rebel as the critic’s darlings of today, The Black Keys are stammering forward with their own garage rock version of the power duo, that's drenched in the blues. Comprised of the essential guitar, vocals and drums, the missing bass is a mere after-fact in the case of this rickety combustion of gritty, sweaty, and damn right groovy numbers.

Recorded in under a single day, thickfreakness howls amongst prototypical blues themes of hurt, pain, and the title song – thickfreakness, which speaks alone. Lead singer Dan Auerbach’s voice rasps of "been there done that," although he’s just a youthful twenty three. Echoing like a cross between Steppenwolf, John Spencer Blues Explosion and Cream, the album thunders and scratches, alongside the band’s tribute to the mystique of vinyl.

From covers of Junior Kimbrough’s "Everywhere I Go" and Richard Berry’s "Have Love Will Travel," the duo is versed in their influences, but sound relevant enough to be chosen to open for Beck on his summer tour. Amongst the powerhouses is "Hard Row" which trembles like a Paul Rogers era Free recording from the early 70s, to the juicy "Set You Free," with a contagiously familiar guitar riff that will compel you to crack open another cold one. Although a majority of the songs carry the same weight, that’s what you come to expect from the blues- simple, muddy, emotive and thick- a far cry from the glamour and prodigious innovation of indulgent acts. thickfreakness is for the hyper-primitive blues hearted.

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