Black on Blues : A Tribute to the Black Keys

Over the years, Cleopatra has made it something of a specialty of theirs to release tribute albums to popular artists, but 2012's Black on Blues: A Tribute to the Black Keys feels a little different than its predecessors -- not as rushed, almost bordering on the carefully considered. Of course, that impression may just be a reflection of the presence of the Iggy Pop and Ginger Baker duet on "Lonely Boy," a collaboration that pays back some dividends as the melody is perfectly suited for Iggy and Ginger swings with nonchalant assurance. It is the performance that's least concerned with the blues but it's not the only noteworthy performance, odd pairing, or comeback, either: Dave Davies teams up with Huw Lloyd-Langton for "Money Maker" and Jackie Lomax comes out for "Dead and Gone." Almost everybody involved sticks to songs from Brothers and El Camino, stripping away whatever interesting sonic flourishes the Keys or Danger Mouse laid upon the originals, concentrating on the bluesy core. Naturally, there is a lot more guitar here than on the Black Keys versions -- and the guitar tends not to be the kind of fuzz explosions Dan Auerbach favors; instead, it's a lot of cleanly articulated Stratocaster picking and overdriven tube amps -- and although it paints the Black Keys as a little more traditional than they actually are, it's generally agreeable stuff apart from the occasional gut-busting vocal (see Pat Travers' exaggerated "Everlasting Light"). And that may not be the same thing as necessary or interesting, but Black on Blues is something that most Cleopatra comps of this nature are not: it's enjoyable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

ここ1、2 年、ブラック・キーズの評価と人気が高まったことは喜ばしい。そんな彼らのトリビュート・アルバムがスゴい！イギー・ポップとジンジャー・ベイカー、デヴォン・オールマンとマニ・ノイマイヤー、アルバート・リー、ジャッキー・ロマックスなど大物が参加。「お前ら最高！ でもロックン・ロールへの愛なら負けちゃいないぜ！」なんて具合に各々「オレ節」のブラック・キーズを披露。特に後半のいぶし銀の演奏が素晴らしい。
intoxicate (C)水上渉