The Black Keys - Delta Kream [2LP]

Delta Kream is the Black Keys going back to the source, a 2021 set of Mississippi hill country blues covers presented here as a double LP.

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have never hidden their debt to the North Mississippi sound of Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, and this album finally pays it in full. Rather than reinventing the material, they recorded it with guitarist Kenny Brown and bassist Eric Deaton, both veterans of that scene, capturing the loose, trance-like feel of musicians who know these songs from the inside.

"Crawling Kingsnake" opens with a slow, hypnotic boogie that sets the tone for the whole record. "Louise" slips into a murky, late-night shuffle, and "Going Down South" locks into a droning, one-chord groove that feels like it could roll on forever. Auerbach's voice and guitar sound relaxed and unforced, while Carney keeps the beat steady and deep in the pocket.

What makes it special is the feel. These are not polished studio replicas but warm, lived-in performances that let the grooves stretch out and breathe, much as they would in a juke joint on a Saturday night.

For blues lovers and longtime Black Keys fans, it is an affectionate tribute to the artists who shaped the band, and an open invitation to dig deeper into the music that inspired them.