The Black Keys : Ohio Players

The Black Keys are an American music institution. They’ve been making their own brand of Midwest duo delta blues now for just a little over 20 years, starting with 2002s The Big Come Up. The duo of Dan Auerbach(guitar, vocals) and drummer Patrick Carney(drums) started out recording their albums in a basement with concrete walls, giving those first few records a real lo-fi, DIY feel. But starting with 2008s Attack & Release the Ohio blues duo brought in producer Danger Mouse and upped their sound considerably. They went from juke joint gigs to festival dates sponsored by Budweiser. Their “if ya know, ya know” fan base turned into college frat parties and hipster bar favorites.

The latest from the Keys is Ohio Players. A mostly collaborative affair with names like Beck, Noel Gallagher, Booker T, and rappers like Juicy J and Lil Noid popping in to push this album as far away as the Keys can get from where they came from. With Dan the Automator helping in the production department, Ohio Players is a sleek, catchy pop-oriented record that will surely get the guys a few more national commercial spots.

In 2021 The Black Keys put out Delta Kream, a true blue blues album where the Keys covered titans of blues. Names like Junior Kimbrough, RL Burnside, and John Lee Hooker were in the writing credits and Auerbach and Carney put together an incredible band to bring these tracks to life. It was a stunning album, and one I felt could have been a turning point for the Black Keys. Instead, the next year they put out the clown-ish Dropout Boogie and my hopes were dashed. Ohio Players doesn’t stray too far from that formula, though there are some memorable tracks.

Album single “Beautiful People(Stay High)” isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it’s a fun party anthem. Big chorus, nice groove, and between Beck and Dan the Automator they succeed in getting my foot tapping. There’s a great Booker T/William Bell cover in “I Forgot To Be Your Lover”. Very soulful and with that 70s, Quentin Tarantino soundtrack vibe. “Please Me(Till I’m Satisfied)” is an all-out banger. Big drums, slide guitar, and the kind of groove that keeps the party going all night.

Unfortunately there are just too many songs that feel less like the Black Keys with guests, and more so the Keys guesting on someone else’s album. “Candy and Her Friends” and “Paper Crown” are decent rap songs, but they’re not really Black Keys songs. They just sound like pandering to a completely different fanbase. “Live Till I Die” is okay, but it’s more Foghat than delta blues. “Every Time You Leave” sounds like it was pulled right off the ‘Suits’ soundtrack. Manufactured blues rock at its worst.

I’ll give Auerbach and Carney credit as they’ve somehow been able to keep things going despite, IMO, losing sight of their roots. If you need a soundtrack to this summer’s big BBQ, Ohio Players will get you where you’re going.