Customer Reviews
Fantastic... 
2008-02-06
Two guys from Akron Ohio spilling their hearts out through very raw guitar riffs. The lyrics are pretty good too...
Meet me at the bottom. 2006-10-12
This CD has one of the best versions of Sleepy John Estes classic "Leavin' Trunk". My goodness, the song is almost tailor made for Dan Auerbachs tormented, distorted vocals.
This is one of the most talented young bands around. They've succeeded with a sound that's all their own and with minimal equipment. I wish them every success.
Bruised Blues 
2006-05-07
Pragmatically getting the job done of equal parts rockin and bluesin, yet somehow managing to reinturpret some of the oldest sounds in the book and make it sound hip to indie ears is a hard feat indeed. Few bands play with such lack of pretense and irony that it is utterly refreshing in it's sincerety to here these guys do what they do. There is a definite repetition of sound that can bog the disc down, but that self-less raw-ness always seems to kill the monotony, especially on those few hard hitting songs with insanely delicious riffs in all their tonal simplicity.
Welcome Addition To Your Blues Collection 2006-03-12
I found these guys listening to Pandora online one day. Had no clue who they were or what they were about. Who knew some awesome blues could come from two skinny fellas from Akron, Ohio recording in a basement!!!??? First song I heard was Brooklyn Bound - great super dirty gritty blues sound that I love. Came to Amazon to listen to more clips and bought on the spot! All three albums carry through this great sound...I honestly can't pick a favorite album. Here are my top three fav songs on their three albums released to date...
Off The Big Come Up
Busted
Do The Rump
Brooklyn Bound
Off Thickfreakness
Title track - Thickfreakness
Have Love Will Travel
Hurt Like Mine
Off Rubber Factory
Just Couldn't Tie Me Down
Grown So Ugly
Keep Me
Really good stuff if you are into thick, gritty, full sounding blues style music.
stripped down rock 
2006-02-23
Butt shaking music. If you like bluesy rock you'll love this. Not as refined as there 3rd Cd, much more primitive. Drums and guitar. Play it loud.
Their best 2006-01-26
This is a great album by a great band. The best thing to come out of Akron Ohio. This two piece band takes blues-rock to another level, with vocals that will surprise anyone listening that its a white guy. The soul of Dan A.'s voice is one that i havent heard yet. Surprisingly, like the Stripes in less ways than one would think, and in many ways better. A truely powerful debut by an amazing band.
One of the best albums ever 2005-12-04
The Black Keys are one of the best bands around today. This album is great from start to finish. You will not be disappointed. I saw them in concert and they are just as great live as they are on CD. If you are interested in good old bluesy rock then this band is for you.
The best band out there still making music 2005-11-18
The Black Keys are my favorite band that is still together and making new albums regularly. One of my good friends turned me on to them when we were recommending music to each other. I recommended Ten Years After, and he told me to check out the black keys. Thanks John!
These guys from Akron (just a quick jog from here in Cleveland) are adding to the blues. The people that say they rip off the classic blues guys are dead wrong. The Black Keys don't try to be Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson or even groups like Cream. They are playing their own blues. All of their songs are fresh, interesting and exciting. Don't take my 4 stars as a slight, I just reserve the ranking of 5 for the best of the best.
The only thing I have against this disc is the 20 odd minutes of silence after the last track, which artifically increases the official album length. It's not a big deal though, overall a great album.
Great stuff 2005-10-18
When I went to put the CD in my player I saw the picture of these guys, took another look at the CD to make sure I got the right one, then looked at the picture again. I shrugged and put the CD in carousel and hit play.
After about thirty seconds I got up, checked the case again, and stopped the CD to make sure it was playing the right one.
Their picture so doesn't match their sound - much less that there's only two of them. The album is filled with rich, gritty, raw, guitar-riff and scratchy vocal blues.
Some reviewers complained that they are charlatans, or that you're better off buying the original blues masters. Well, lots of artists can trace their roots to the masters (raise your hand if you think all of Led Zepplin's stuff is original).
My advice is to buy both, the original classics and some of the new ones like this album. It certainly was quite a nice surprise to hear this disc - like finding a lost classic.
What about the white keys? 2005-09-23
The Black Keys are awesome. It's amazing how big of a sound they get out of a two-peice band. (I think it's the enormous size of the kick drum they use.) Excellent song writing in conjuntion with masterful musicianship make for a rad album. The Black Keys havn't put out a bad album, all are recommended for all types of music lovers, especially blues/garage rock enthusiats.
