Black Keys - El Camino - CD

This is one of the best albums I've bought in a long time. I know The Black Key's older work and yes, this album is a lot different than their earlier ones, but I think it's better. But this is more of the kind of rock I like. I like faster pace, keyboards, harmonys, etc. Also, I'm the same age as the band members and I happen to write songs for fun. The music I created when I was in my early 20's was waaaay different than the music I write now. People grow, and especially grow a LOT from their early 20's to their 30's. I think people need to give these guys a break. They have exceptional talent and write some world-class music. Dan's voice has an amazing sound quality to it and he is one of my favorite singers. Many claim this album is another victim of the loudness war, but I don't really hear it, at least not as bad as on other albums I've bought the last few years.

I discovered The Black Keys just a couple of years. I think they are one of the best, relatively new bands around... I know they have been around awhile but still new ... relatively. I really like the style of drummer Carney and Auerbach is pretty good musician overall. They great at recording with just the tow of them playing the instruments. El Camino is good throughout, some of it gets a little repetitive but not too bad. I really like Little Black Submarines and Money Maker. Of course Lonely Boy and Gold on the Ceiling are good/great tunes as well. I look forward to hearing more music from them in the future.

I recently bought The Black Keys album El Camino and I do like it. However, I like their old blues-rock style more. I'm all for bands trying new things because that's what true artists of any craft should do, but creative energy has a carrying capacity as well. I'm not sure The Black Keys would have the ability to carry this new style for another few albums, because their original fan base might not like that. If they mixed this current style with their old blues-rock original soul, then that would be a nice transition. Becoming more pop-rock doesn't really suit The Black Keys in my opinion. It's a nice departure for them, and because it is them, I do find this album appealing, but I'm looking for more soul....which was what attracted me to them in the first place. Still love them, and I would recommend this album for all true fans, but if you expected to hear their old soulful sound, it's not on this album. Danger Mouse needs to stick to doing Danger Mouse music. The Black Keys need no alteration! Don't change Black Keys, true fans love you for who you are! :-)

I've never seen an album so divided in opinion than The Black Keys' 7th release, El Camino. All the major review sites and magazines seem to give it glowing rave reviews, calling it one of the most exciting rock records of 2011. However, all the Keys fans that followed them up to this point have been trashing this album, with cries of "sell out," and even "Danger Mouse produced crap." Seems like there isn't a consistent opinion about this record. I'll be honest, I was a bit turned off at first by this record too. I have been following The Black Keys for about 10 years now, pretty much from when they started as a little known Akron blues band with a really good debut on their sleeves. The first 4 albums pretty much follow that dirty hill country blues formula, with a penchant for heavy guitar, fantastic performances, and some pretty catchy hooks to boot. Then there was the dividing point with 2008's Attack & Release, a record I still don't really care for outside of a few good songs. Brothers changed that for me though, a dense record with some of the best songs you'll ever hear from the Akron duo. Now, there's El Camino, and things have changed yet again. The hill country influence has faded a little bit. The production is booming. There's added instrumentation. There's even female backing singers. So much has changed since that little known debut in 2002. But, as I said before, all things must change. Bands evolve. Look at Radiohead, do you really want them to play the post-grunge they were embracing on Pablo Honey? Give this album some time, it will grow on you. And grow on me it did. All the songs are short, sweet, and to the point. And man, do they rock. The 3-song punch of Lonely Boy, Dead & Gone, and Gold On The Ceiling just never fails to excite me. All these songs just bounce, rip and roar, the latter being my favorite: A T-rex style boogie with some great fuzzy guitar. Little Black Submarines is just epic. A nice acoustic sad song turned into a Tom Petty-esque rocker. You just have to hear it to believe it. And the rest of the album is just so damn dancy and funky. They know how to slide in a great hook while still retaining their energy and the fuzz of earlier releases. I don't really see this as a huge departure if you've been following them up to this point. I just see them blossoming as songwriters and as a kicking rock band. So, I don't really understand the hate, but if you're looking for a good new rock and roll album, this is the one to get. Keep on rolling, guys.

Ordered for my husband. He loves it.

This is a great rock album, just like everything The Black Keys have done. Critics point out that it's not as raw as their earlier stuff (much like the criticisms of the Kings of Leon or Iron & Wine), but isn't that the point? Why do rock and roll artists have to churn out the same old style just to please their early hard-core followers? I admit that I came to The Black Keys very late, despite the fact that they grew up near where I live. But in going backwards in their catalog, I've found something to love--and rock--in everything they've done. Sure, El Camino is different, but haven't they lived a life of a whole lot of new experiences since the beginning? And isn't it natural for them to incorporate those experiences into their new music? And doesn't it still sound like The Black Keys? El Camino is a fun listening experience and makes me want to tap my feet and dance just like the guy in the Lonely Boy video. By far one of the best albums of 2011.

If you like tge Black Keys, buy it.

I've never been a huge Black Keys fan. Yeah, it's derivative but what isn't? They just do their influences well and their influences happen to be Hendrix and the like. Everything is a copy of something else that often wasn't very good in the first place. They have been influenced by quality stuff. This one works for me because it gets you to rocking and weavin in the car and they seem to have hit some kind of groove. So, for me, it's a classic. It has Lonely Boy and their free bird/stairway to heaven like song little black submarines, there isn't a weak song top to bottom. I never liked El Caminos though. A car with a truck bed seemed odd to me. At the time, people thought they were cool. (Of course, a lot of people back then were just high and El Caminos were probably more funny than cool. They probably thought they were hallucinating--Look! A car! no wait. A truck! haha.)

For years now, I've lived and breathed the music these guys make, which means that I'm a complete snob. They were awesome long before breaking from their blues rock style to make a modern rock album that would finally make money. In my view, they don't have to live up to the popular success of Brothers, but the success of their distinctive sound from years ago. I had thought, on first listening to El Camino, that it was a good, solid rock album. I didn't have much to say beyond that. In fact, there's not a song on it that I dislike, which isn't the case for any other Black Keys album. However, I just wasn't all that fussed over El Camino because I felt that it was lacking exactly what's made me and many others obsess over The Black Keys for so many years: that pure soul and grit, a compulsive and compelling sound that marks the separation between their 'old music' and 'new music'. That blues sound has receded and been replaced with... well, we're not quite sure. I'm not the first to utter my misgivings that they're going the same way as The Kings of Leon. So I got over it, and listened to the album for what it is: awesome music, and in a completely different style. For a long while I was every bit as hooked as I have been in the past. Whatever their sound, The Black Keys are still producing great music with plenty of flair - just a touch less integrity. Several months on, and having seen them on tour a few times in recent years, I can say that this music doesn't lend itself to the raw, awesome solos that we're used to, but it's still pretty good. The album is worth the price, and just about worth the 5 stars.

Excellent album, in my opinion one of their best.

Ótimo produto ! Entrega no prazo e pacote de entrega em bom estado. Recomendo !

Todo prefecto gran CD de esta gran banda

Vorweg: So einfach, direkt und selbstverständlich "El Camino" klingt, so schwer ist es in Worte zu fassen! Nichts Geringeres, als eine Hip-Hop-Jugend wieder zurück zu den Wurzeln des schwarzen Blues zu führen ist die selbstauferlegte Mission der Herren Dan Auerbach (Gesang, Gitarre) und Patrick Carney (Schlagzeug) - laut eigenem Band-Credo. Und seien wir mal ehrlich: Wie kommen denn junge Menschen heutzutage mit dem Blues (wenn überhaupt) in Berührung? Selbst wenn heute auch schon nicht mehr ganz taufrische Rock-Dinos wie die Rolling Stones od. AC/DC (uvm. freilich) sich immer wieder auf den Blues als Wurzel aller Populärmusik berufen und zwischendurch immer wieder mal eine eigene od. wenigstens eigeninterpretierte Blues-Hadern von der Leine lassen (sei's live oder hier und da ev. noch im Studio), so muss man doch festhalten, dass Blues im Vergleich zu Indie, Pop, Heavy-Rock usw. doch eher nur bescheidene Massentauglichkeit zugesprochen werden kann. Sogar White-Stripes-Frontmann Jack White genießt eher eine Art "Außenseiterstatus" (aber bitte nicht falsch verstehen), wenn er sich - wie zuletzt - voll und ganz dem Blues hingibt... Auch einen Gary Clark Jr. (man höre z.B. sein großartiges "Bright Lights") sollte man an dieser Stelle nicht unerwähnt lassen! Doch was soll's? Jetzt ist alles anders! Oder besser gesagt: Spätestens seit dem 2011 erschienen "El Camino" ist alles anders! THE BLACK KEYS sind die Antwort auf die Lücke, die mehr und mehr zwischen den alten Bluesgöttern (z.B. Buddy Guy od. dem bereits längst verblassten Muddy Waters und Co.) und der musikalischen Gegenwart aufzuklaffen drohte. Mit einer kaum in Worte zu fassenden Leichtigkeit und Selbstverständlichkeit - wahrscheinlich wäre Lässigkeit hier das angebrachte Vokabular - fetzen die Burschen Bluesrocker runter, als ob es die Natürlichste Sache der Welt wäre! Und obwohl sich THE BLACK KEYS nun schon länger erfolgreich in dieser Rolle versuchen (das zuletzt erschienene "Turn Blue" ist vielleicht ein bisschen eine Ausnahme, da man hier tendenziell auch viel Elektronik usf. zu hören bekommt), ist ihnen mit "El Camino" nicht nur kommerziell ein Ausrufezeichen der besonderen Art gelungen! Schon alleine die ersten 4 Tracks - allesamt Hits und das nicht zuletzt auch wegen der dazugehörigen, teils aberwitzigen Videos - sind Aushängeschilder und stellen womöglich bis heute die bekanntesten Song des Duos (das freilich im Studio auch mit Gastmusikern arbeitet) dar. Ich rede hier von den Kalibern "Lonely Boy", "Dead And Gone", "Gold On The Ceiling" sowie "Little Black Submarines" (aber natürlich sind auch die anderen Tracks auf der Scheibe nicht zu verachten)! Ehrlich: Ein Album wie dieses ist mir schon längere Zeit nicht mehr untergekommen - einfach GROSSARTIG! Zugleich ist es (inkl. dem neuerschienenen "Turn Blue") das wohl bis dato am aufwändigsten produzierte Studiowerk der BLACK KEYS. "Aufwändig" freilich im Vegleich zum bislang hauseigenen Alben-Katalog, nicht etwa mit anderen zeitgenössischen Pop/Rock-Alben gesehen! Aber dieser "Aufwand" hat sich zweifelsohne bezahlt gemacht - ausnahmslos alle Songs auf "El Camino" klingen voll, rund, warm, authentisch und stecken voller Energie und Leidenschaft, ohne dass irgendwelche tontechnischen Mängel feststellbar wären! Großes Lob also auch für die tolle Produktion der Scheibe! Fazit: "El Camino" ist für mich (bis heute) nicht nur das Album des Jahres 2011, sondern vielmehr schon ein sehr heißer Anwärter auf das Album des Jahrzehnts. Da ist dem dynamischen Duo des modernen Blues wirklich etwas ganz Außergewöhnliches, Meisterhaftes gelungen! Aus meiner Sicht macht das ganz klar indiskutable 5 Sterne!! Nicht wenige (auch ich gehöre zugegebenermaßen dazu) werden erst mit "El Camino" so richtig auf THE BLACK KEYS aufmerksam geworden sein. Aber wehe, wenn man dann erst mal beginnt auch die anderen Alben nach und nach für sich zu entdecken... Einfach fabelhaft - für Musikbegeisterte gibt's eigentlich nichts Schöneres auf der Welt ;) Bleibt nur zu hoffen, dass THE BLACK KEYS ihren Weg unbeirrt weitergehen und sich nicht von irgendwelchen Möchtegerns und/oder Einflüsterern einlullen lassen. Betrachtet man ihren bisherigen Werdegang, so kann man solche Gefahren, so denke ich, jedoch getrost aus seinen Gedanken verbannen... Auch der Neuling ("Turn Blue") hat trotz seiner "Andersartigkeit" seine reizvollen Momente - reinhören lohnt sich auch hier in jedem Fall! Ich freue mich jedenfalls schon sehr auf einige ältere Black-Keys-Werke, die ich mir kürzlich via amazon bestellt habe. ENDLICH: Die wahrhaftige Renaissance des Blues hat eingesetzt - war der Blues ohnehin so und so niemals totzukriegen (eben als Wurzel aller Populärmusik bzw. aufgrund vieler, vieler großartiger Interpreten), so ist ihm jetzt eine neue, großartige Ära beschert - den BLACK KEYS sei Dank!!!! Oder anders gesagt (aber dann bin ich mit meinen Weisheiten schon am Ende:)): Die Zeitlosigkeit, die dem Blues (völlig zurecht) bis dato immer nachgesagt wurde, ist zur Endlosschleife der Gegenwart mutiert. Deshalb: Legt euch ein paar Black-Keys-Alben zu, liebe Leute und hört und staunt und tanzt und erzählt eueren Freunden und Bekannten davon!! Eins noch (dann ist's aber wirklich gut): Die häufigen Vergleiche zu den White Stripes (die ich durchaus auch zu schätzen weiß) hinken meines Erachtens ein wenig hinterher. Trotz ähnlicher Besetzungspraxis und möglicherweise ähnlicher Herangehensweise an die Musik, sind die BLACK KEYS an Originalität und Inspiration nicht zu übertreffen... So, Schluss. Hier nachträglich noch meine persönlichen Anspieltipps für Interessierte: - Lonely Boy - Gold On The Ceiling - Little Black Submarines - Stop Stop