El Camino - The Black Keys

This is the seventh album by garage rock duo The Black Keys and I was kind of looking forward to it. It came out December 6th, 2011 (I bought the CD the day it cameout). Albums like that I have conveniently labeled "Bought on day of release". To be honest I wasn't really looking forward to doing this. I've been literally putting this off since February. I'm a lazy bastard, not really, but I'm finally doing this album.

1. Lonely Boy: Either this or Little Black Submarine are my two favorites. The first time I heard this song I liked it. I thought that it was a had this Southern Rock/Blues feeling that you can dance to. I don't know exactly what band it reminds me of but the part where it says "oh oh oh" it kind of reminds me of The Stones in their early 60's days. You know, when they still did a lot of covers. I do though think this song is a song that it's hard not to like. The female vocals help that feeling of the song. I feel like I'm shooting myself in the foot if I say this, but I can picture like the Allman Brothers doing something like this. I don't understand why, but they just come to mind.
2. Dead And Gone: I think that this is a decent follow up to Lonely Boy on the album. I am not huge on this song, but I still like it. I don't know what to think of the little chimes in the intro. I feel like it'd be better without them, but then again it might take away too. You know what I mean. But this is a simple song to get into and an easy on to like.
3. Gold On The Ceiling: I like this song, but I think there is too much synth. Why can't it be more guitar driven or at least more dirty. I feel like this is trying to sound gritty, but it is more poppy than dirty. Like a cleaner version of the grit. What happened from Thickness Freak's title track to Gold On The Ceiling. Do you know what I mean. I do like the little part though where it says "I could never doubt you". I like the way the vocals sound.
4. Little Black Submarines: This song is like their Stairway. The song starts out acoustic and then kind of builds. Then it goes into a White Stripes/Old school Keys/Zeppelin type of feeling when the song goes hard. i with that it was a though. Like there isn't enough of a solo to say it's like Stairway's solo. But the solo is probably realistically based on the solo in the classic Stairway to Heaven.
5. Money Maker: Though I liked this song at first, it kind of didn't "wear off" on me. That actually makes no sense. What I mean to say is it didn't stay with me. I don't really like the chorus. I think that it's actually kind of lame. Not in a terrible way, just in a "they didn't even try" to make it good. This song does remind me of The Black Crows 1990 album title Shake Your Money Makers. I do like the way the Wah-Wah solo sounds. I wish it was more creative though.
6. Run Right Back: This song has a groove to it and it think that it is pretty enjoyable. I don't think that it's AMAZING, but I do like it. I like the way the riff to the song sounds. It is a good song, but I think that it isn't as good as once I thought. I don't like as much as the first time I heard it.
7. Sister: I really never liked this song. I don't exactly know why, but I just never did. I do think that it's a decent song, but I just don't really think this is a Keys song. This might be a stretch, but I could see people roller skating to this song if that ever came back. This has this unapealling Disco vibe to it. I don't hate disco, I really like some of Santa Esmeralda's stuff, and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack has some good tunes on it. But I much more like Grease, but not side 3 with Sha-na-na. Anyway, I think this isn't a song that they actually wrote, and if they did, shame on them.
8. Hell Of A Season: This is another song that I don't really go crazy for. I think it's kind of like a knock-off, this is my opinion on the song (just to settle the facts), version of Lonely Boy. I don't know why, but I feel like it is just a reworked and messed around version of that song, with different lyrics. The solo is kind of Ok thought.
9. Stop Stop: This song starts out with this distortion that kind of reminds me of an attempt at a Jimi Hendrix sounding tone. But not a good one. This song is a song that is not the band. Damn you Brian Burton. Why'd you ruin this song and other songs on this album too.
10. Nova Baby: This is like a songs that I could see being on a sound track to some popular album. This is more of a novelty song then a blues song. I think it's decent, better than the last couple tracks.
11. Mind Eraser: The riff in the beginning of this song isn't as cool as it was the first time I heard it. I do like the solo at the end, not a ton, but I still think that it's ok. I wish there was more for me to enjoy on this album.

Overall I have to give this a 6/10. When I first heard it it would have probably gotten like a 9/10. I used to like this a ton, until I heard some songs off Thickness Freak & The Big Come Up. Back before they teamed up with Danger Mouse. In fact, my least favorite Keys songs that I've heard to date were the ones I heard off 2008's Attack & Release, the first to have Danger Mouse on production. I do remember being told, from a bigger Keys fan then myself, that they feel like they kind of sold out with this record. I don't know, if I listen to this, unless it's front to back thing, I'll probably listen to tracks Lonely Boy, Little Black Submarine. Actually, I almost forgot about Mind Eraser. One of my favorite song by this band is on Brothers called Tighten Up.