Chulahoma

As per the title, a superb EP of songs. The vinyl packaging was slightly damaged/creased in the top left corner, and more annoying was that the vinyl itself was fairly warped. This did not affect playback though as my LP120XUSB tends to handle warped records like this fairly well. 4 stars due to the warp, and damage to case, but 5* to The Black Keys for this EP, it is tremendous Blues rock.

I'm a Black Keys fan but their take on Junior Kimbrough's music is extraordinary. It's a shame that a blues artist as talented as Kimbrough needs the intervention of a modern band to introduce the world to his genius, yet out of that unfairness has risen something wonderful. Describing this as the best thing the Keys have ever done isn't meant as an insult, after all they had the entire Kimbrough backlog to choose from so you'd expect an EP of covers to stand a fair chance of being successful, and this is a masterpiece. This is blues that is sad yet somehow simultaneously gloriously uplifting, almost hypnotic, and you'll find yourself drifting off into another world at times, carried along by the music.If you're a fan of the Black Keys or even just have a passing interest in the blues, buy this. And if you're not a fan of Junior Kimbrough yet then do yourself a favour and buy yourself some of his own recordings too, as I can't believe anyone who likes the blues could fail to fall in love with his music. The word "genius" is much over-used but Kimbrough deserves the tag, and paired with one of the most innovative bands of the last decade it's no surprise this record is as good as it is.

OK I will be honest, I found Rubber Factory fairly average and was disappointed in their new DVD, for me Thickfreakness was their last golden moment. So I ordered this with not much optimism but intrigued to hear them covering Junior Kimbrough (who I am not familiar with), and............IT'S ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!! It has a very unique chilled vibe to it while still having that g'ole Black Keys sound. Tempo is fairly slow on all the tracks while theres lots of long windy guitar instrumentals, it just makes beautiful summer music,, and it's a wonderful coincedence that the weather has been so good on its week of release.BUY IT!And, finally, I am extremely anti the whole 'Keys VS Stripes' thing, Dan and Jack are the most different blues based guitarists you can get, Jack's white-hot at rootsy stuff while Dan's much more inventive. BUT, now the Stripes have gone very wrong in their 'new direction' (and then split!) i can safely say in 2006 the Keys win!Right, now I'm off to check out some JK stuff!

This was the Ep made before the fantastic `Magic Potion` album was released and after `Rubber Factory`It has hints of both albums and is an Ep so don't expect a brilliant piece of work but definitely a notable one worth purchasing if you are a fan of the 2 piece blues act from the states.Stand out songs include `nobody but you` and `keep your hands off her` and the rest ambles along nicely in their blues infused rock noise.If your a fan an essential purchase.

Chulahoma is undoubtedly one of The Black Keys' least well-known releases, however thanks to most recent release  El Camino  and radio-friendly single 'Lonely Boy', the band are finally getting the mainstream recognition they deserve.With that recognition come the inevitability of new fans trawling through the band's back catalogue, which in some bands' cases can be a bit of a minefield. Not so with The Black Keys and certainly not so with Chulahoma. From the opening strains of 'Keep Your Hands Off Her' through the almost southern-fried 'Work Me' to the final 6-minute fuzz of 'My Mind Is Ramblin', Chulahoma is blues rock of the highest order.

Excellent wistful rambling blues album recorded as tribute to Junior Kimbrough a black Mississippi blues guitarists who died in 1998. The CD is short on content at just 27 minutes and was the last album to be recorded with Fat Possum Recorded before The Black Keys moved to Nonesuch, after which their style changed direction. So this is a retrospective look at The Black Keys work, and after 3 or 4 plays, somehow really works. Anyone who likes The Keys, White Stripes, Led Zeppelin etc in blues mode, will love this.

I really, really like El Camino and Brothers and bought this without realizing it's a tribute to Junior Kimbrough and his songs - my fault.It's a short electric blues/rock album which is ok but without, to my ears, being memorable in anyway. After several plays I can't remember any of the songs unlike on the aforementioned albums.I'd say listen before buying...

In my mind probably their best album if you love that thing they do with guitars :D Great to listen to with the neighbours away (or in if you hate them) and the volume up loud :D