The album that started it all for young blues hopefuls Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, 'The Big Come Up' is back on vinyl where it belongs.
Rawboned blues duo The Black Keys hail from Akron, Ohio, but a listen to 'The Big Come Up' suggests they may have been raised by Mississippi ridge runners. While Dan Auerbach's overdriven ax is powered by the same internal combustion engine that drove blues legends Junior Kimbrough and Fred McDowell, this is no po-faced retro show. There's WuTang Clan schooled funk in drummer Patrick Carney's fatback beats and on the cranked-up 'Countdown'. From the truthfully titled 'Heavy Soul' to a devolved, choogling cover of the Beatles' 'She Said, She Said', 'The Big Come Up' was a righteous choice for rock debut of the year.