The Black Keys – Ohio Players

With a back catalogue that has inspired a host of modern-day rock ‘n’ roll bands, The Black Keys have been swimming between the genres of blues and psych rock for the last five or so albums. For many fans who’ve loved them since the days of the raw and bluesy Thick Freakness and Magic Potion, the band’s move to a softer, more radio-friendly sound has been perplexing. Ohio Players continues their psych rock streak, with a little bit of hip-hop and some surf thrown in at the end.

The album opens with the infectious bassline of This Is Nowhere, which sounds like it’s been taken straight off their 2010 commercial breakthrough album Brothers; a perfect blues-soaked pop track that is bound to stay in the heads of its listeners. Don’t Let Me Go is, again, a brilliantly crafted tune with Auerbach’s voice moving to a dreamy falsetto for the chorus.

Beautiful People (Stay High) is upbeat but tedious, with a happy-clappy chorus that sounds like some kind of rock ’n’ roll version of Cha Cha Slide. This, Only Love Matters and the odd hip-hop rock amalgamation of Candy and Her Friends, just seem like slightly lazy attempts at popularising the band’s appeal.

Songwriting credits on the album include Beck and Noel Gallagher, and Beck also lends vocals to Paper Crown, along with Juicy J. It’s not hard to spot Beck’s influence here and there, but from listening alone you would never suspect Noel Gallagher had anything to do with the record.

The Black Keys have earned a reputation for having disagreements with figures ranging from Jack White to Glastonbury’s organisers. Thus, it’s somewhat ironic that their new songs appear to advocate for peace and love. Although some enthusiasts may perceive them as the blues rock version of paint-by-numbers, The Black Keys earlier albums stood out for many rock fans worldwide with their gritty guitar riffs and Auerbach’s cut-glass soulful tone. They may appeal to the masses more now, but they’ve likely long lost the chin-stroking critical thinkers of “real music”.

The album’s most interesting track lies towards the end in the dark surf tune Read Em and Weep, which echoes the gorgeous guitar tones of 1960s Duane Eddy. Fever Tree is another easy listener, and pleasant enough, and the closing number Every Time You Leave has a moreish sliding chorus that makes you wish it was slightly longer than 2.57 minutes.

It’s an up-and-down album with some undeniably great songs, as well as some duds. They may have lost their edge a bit, but most of it still sounds pretty good.

Hannah Broughton
Image: Larry Niehues

Ohio Players is released on 5^th April 2024. For further information or to order the album visit The Black Keys’s website here.

Watch the video for the single This Is Nowhere here: