The Black Keys - Live at the Crystal Ballroom

There's just something about the blues. I'm not sure what it is, I just can't put my finger on it. But when I'm in the right mood, the blues just seem to speak to me.

When it comes right down to it, I'm not what you would call a huge blues fan. Sure I have a few blues albums that I was turned on to after hearing Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin cover Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters classics when I was a kid. And sure I don't mind spending long car trips in the company of BB King and Buddy Guy. But I'm not the kind of guy that goes around wearing a Stevie Ray Vaughn t-shirt, and typically I'll favor a good pop, rock or jazz tune over the delta blues. When I'm in the right state of mind though, a good electric blues album is all I really want to listen to.

Like I mentioned earlier I really don't know what it is that captivates me so much when I listen to blues music. Maybe it's the methodical drawn out blues chords (which works equally as well with both jazz and rock music), or it may be the sheer authenticity of the vocals. Whatever it is, it's a symptom that plagues more than just me. People just seem to be naturally drawn to blues music. Even those who couldn't tell you the difference between Lightin' Hopkins and Howlin' Wolf or those who probably couldn't name a blues artist off the top of their head if their lives depended on it, will stand in awe in the presence of a well crafted blues or blues-rock song.

After slipping The Black Keys' new DVD Live at the Crystal Ballroom into my player my initial reaction was, "why don't I listen to more blues music?" It's still a question I don't quite have an answer to. To be honest, and avoid angry comments, I know that the Keys are not pure blues. Instead the band plays about as close as you can to the original formula while adding doses of rock and roll, funk and even a bit of Motown soul. All these sounds are carefully crafted around rollicking blues riffs and the gripping voice of one part of the two part band, singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach.

The amazing part about The Black Keys, is just how full of a sound a mere two instruments can provide. Auerbach along with drummer Patrick Carney perform like a well tuned machine on Crystal Ballroom. The two musicians have been playing together since '01 and their timing and spotless showmanship are obvious. Since Crystal Ballroom was shot during the band's tour for their latest album, Attack & Release, a majority of the songs present are regrettably from that disc, while the band's 2003 magnum opus Thickfreakness is somewhat ignored. Still the show is more than enjoyable and a great showcase of just how well the duo perform live.

Though Carney's impeccable timing is a huge part of The Black Keys' sound, what makes the band more than just your average blues-rock bar band is without a doubt the amazing Dan Auerbach. By channeling blues and blues-rock of yesteryear and adding a modern distortion filled backdrop, Auerbach finds himself in a league of his own when it comes to the genre of scuzzy retro blues. It's not only his lean riffs and interesting song structures, his stage presence and - without a doubt - his introspective howl of a voice help make the band unique. The Black Keys craft a sound that's both comfortably nostalgic and viably different. It's a sound that works aptly when I'm in that "blues mood" I was telling you about early. Hell, it's actually a sound that can actually replace albums by blues legends in my CD changer when that mood comes around.

Though there are many avenues you can go down when you get an itch for the blues, Live at the Crystal Ballroom is as good a choice as I can recommend. It's an audible and visual treat that can truly have a profound effect on someone (I haven't shaved since I first watched it). It can also serve as a gateway of sorts to more pure blues music if you so choose to investigate deeper into the origins of this wonderful sound. I've actually found myself listening to more and more of the blues in the past few weeks. I guess seeing The Black Keys in concert just seems to put me in a perpetual "blues state of mind."