I'm really surprised that no one has posted about the new Black Keys' CD 'El Camino'. I love this CD and the single 'Lonely Boy' http://youtu.be/a_426RiwST8.

I must admit 3yrs ago I wasn't a big The Black Keys fan. I had a couple of cassettes of me and a drummer playing demos of my songs, but I never 'released' them.

Than I read that Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) was producing tracks for The Black Keys' 'Catch & Release' album, I bought it, and liked it.

Than last year The Black Keys released 'Brothers' and I was blown away. Now I'm blown way by 'El Camino'. Danger Mouse only produced one song on 'Brothers', but returned to co-produce and co-write songs on 'El Camino'.

His influence can be heard on the quirky keyboard tracks, this just adds to Dan Auerbach's quirky guitar and bass lines http://www.theblackkeys.com/.

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Tony Houston

El Camino is another great album but definitely not my favorite. I love Gold on The Ceiling and Run Right Back but older albums like Rubber Factory and Chulahoma ( Tribute to Junior Kimbrough) are my favorite. It's actually Attack and Release, but I love tracks like Same Old Thing and Phsycotic Girl. Anyways, I was very impressed with the Black Keys once again. They never stop amazing me!

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2010 American Special HSS Olympic White
2010 Mustang I Amplifier

I must confess that I too prefer the "old" Black Keys. I loved the Bluesy, garage-y, lo-fi sound of Rubber Factory and Thickfreakness. I have both and will some day pick up their debut, The Big Come Up.

I see this happening a lot these days. Bands look for a "fresh" sound and change things up hoping they will add more fans than they lose. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Some just seem to forget what made them successful.

I love the new album. Not a weak song there.

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2012 Fender American Standard Stratocaster
2013 Fender Pure Vintage 65 Stratocaster
2003 Gibson ES-355
2015 Gibson Les Paul Traditional
2002 Gretsch Duo Jet
1980 Rickenbacker 360/12 Fireglo
2014 Martin 000X1AE
2014 Fender Blues Junior III

My 17 y/o daughter played a Black Keys album in the car as we were headed home a while back. I listened for a while and said that if they had not already won a grammy, there was just no justice! I got home and looked it up. They had.

Very impressed with their groove. They don't rush the beat and let the music work itself out.

Just got the new issue of Electronic Musician (Jan. 2012) fresh from the mailbox and who's on the cover? The Black Keys! They talk about how they recorded El Camino. It will be a while before I get to it since I have this month's EM and two issues of Tape Op and a Car & Driver to get through first.

Just thought you might want to pick it up if you like The Keys and/or recording.