The Black Keys - Turn Blue (Nonesuch)
Recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles during the summer of 2013 with additional recording done at the Key Club in Benton Harbor, Mich. and at singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound in Nashville in early 2014, the Black Keys’ new album presents a kinder, gentler version of the garage blues they’ve played for the past decade. The guys have been vague about the exact meaning of the title, but they’ve said it could be a reference to Cleveland late night TV host Ghoulardi. Nice to see that they haven’t forgotten their Northeast Ohio roots even though they now call Nashville their home. They go for atmosphere on the dreamy album opener “Weight of Love,” a song that, despite its reverberating guitar solo, has more in common with Broken Bells than the White Stripes. It’s just one example of Dangermouse production. With its falsetto vocals and piano riff, “In Time” also shows Dangermouse’s touch as does the snappy single “Fever.” The album’s a bit of a departure but it ultimately comes off more as an evolution rather than a step in the wrong musical direction. theblackkeys.com
