A bolt from the blues

The Black Keys

Some bands spend years making an album. They demo songs, record, re-record, and re-record again. Then they overdub, overproduce and hammer out every ounce of spontaneity.

The Black Keys aren’t like that. Guitarist Dan Auerbach, pictured, and drummer Pat Carney went into their Nashville studio with no ideas and came out 10 days later with this 10-track belter.

Dropout Boogie grabs you from the opening Wild Child and never lets go. Shuffling drums misdirect before the meaty guitar riff kicks in and Dan warns, “I’m just a stranger with a wandering eye/Your heart is in danger, let me tell you a lie.”

Then comes the massive tub-thumping chorus. Their music is blues-based but marinated in a hearty musical stew including funk elements, neo-soul (on the stomping It Ain’t Over) and foot-tapping boogies.

Just when you spot a tasty ZZ Top vibe on songs like Your Team Is Looking Good, up pops Billy F Gibbons himself to supply sublime guitar licks on the mid-paced blues of Good Love.

They just invited him along to the studio and let him know that Dan had country blues legend Mississippi Fred McDowell’s Gibson. The resulting jam begat the song. It was entirely off the cuff but you’d never know it.

It takes confidence, and real talent, to create music this good spontaneously, but The Black Keys have every reason to trust their own creative ability.

The duo, from Akron, Ohio, have more natural chemistry than an exploding volcano and their last four albums were smash hits here and in the US.

More than revivalists, they add distinct touches – strong tunes, smart lyrics, expressive vocals, an innate coolness and a willingness to take risks, including earlier adventures into psychedelia.

But barnstorming blues rock is their beating heart.