The Black Keys - Magic Potion

Magic Potion finds The Back Keys back in the basement, and cranking out the blues just like they like to do. Even so, this is not The Big Come Up all over again or Thickfreakness part 2. This is an album by a band that is a little older and a little more interested in their own sound. That doesn't mean it's better than either of the aforementioned albums, it's different.

First of all, Magic Potion is not a relentless blues assault. It has a ballad in "You're the One" and a slow rocker in "The Flame." Some of the other songs are relentless blues rockers, but others just pick their spots. If The Black Keys were The Beatles, Magic Potion would be Rubber Soul, an album made after relentless touring that finds the band a little weary, a little wary, and in transition from what they have been into what they will be. For some reason, I never want to listen to either Rubber Soul or Magic Potion. I'm wrong. They're both great albums, and I always enjoy them in the moment, so I can't ever figure out why I don't listen to them all the time.