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THE BLACK KEYS
Have whoop-ass, will travel
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The Black Keys ain’t perfect. Drummer Pat Carney’s time wanders as he flails at his kit, and guitarist Dan Auerbach tends to use the high volume of his vintage Marshall amplifiers as a crutch for limited technique. But when it comes to pure, unmitigated whoop-ass, they’ve got buckets full. Enough to put a high-rev whammy on last Wednesday’s comfortably full crowd at Boston’s Avalon, making their fans roar as enthusiastically and repeatedly as Auerbach’s peals of feedback. In T-shirts and jeans rather than matching color-coordinated outfits, the Keys were proof that a rock-and-roll duo don’t need to fall back on pretension to convince listeners they’re worthwhile. Rooted equally in the mania of the Stooges and the rusty sounds of Mississippi hill-country-blues eccentrics like Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, they created a howling, whispering fusion on stage that was immediate and unfiltered. "Girl Is on My Mind," where Auerbach’s vocal melodies are direct reflections of Kimbrough’s, and the brisk, bludgeoning "Hard Row" were jolting and visceral as Carney slammed and laid back and Auerbach preached full blast into the microphone — when he wasn’t tugging at his guitar’s strings to make notes swell and yipe. Still, after three albums, a live DVD, and a couple years of constant touring, it’s time for the Black Keys to strive for more. Varied arrangements. New tonal colors. Fresh riffs. Opener Nathaniel Mayer is the kind of artist who keeps Fat Possum, his label (and the Keys’), honest — or at least in touch with its earthy blues roots. The pairing of the silver-haired Detroit barroom R&B singer with a rock band for support is a great idea; it’s what Iggy & the Stooges aimed for. Too bad the band were merely serviceable, as is Mayer’s songwriting. But there are howls in lyrics like "You gotta get paid/If you’re gonna get laid" ("You Gotta Work") and "I Want Love and Affection (Not the House of Correction)," which Mayer wrote in the slammer. And his affable dirty-old-man persona made him perversely charming.
BY TED DROZDOWSKI
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