Delta Kream
Studio album by
the Black Keys
ReleasedMay 14, 2021 (2021-05-14)
RecordedDecember 2019
StudioEasy Eye Sound (Nashville)
GenreHill country blues
Length54:15
Label
Producer
The Black Keys chronology
Let's Rock
(2019) 		Delta Kream
(2021) 		Dropout Boogie
(2022)
Singles from Delta Kream
  1. "Crawling Kingsnake"
    Released: April 20, 2021
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
DIY[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
NME[5]
Pitchfork6.8/10[6]

Delta Kream is the tenth album by American rock duo the Black Keys, released through Easy Eye Sound and Nonesuch Records on May 14, 2021. It is a cover album of hill country blues songs.[7] It was preceded by the April 15 release of a cover of "Crawling Kingsnake", based on Junior Kimbrough's rendition.[8]

Background, recording and packaging

The album was recorded "in about 10 hours" over two afternoons at Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville at the end of the Let's Rock tour, with little planning and no advance rehearsals.[9] It includes contributions from R. L. Burnside's guitarist Kenny Brown as well as Junior Kimbrough's bassist Eric Deaton; the Black Keys had previously covered Burnside's "Skinny Woman" (titled "Busted") and Kimbrough's "Do the Romp" (titled "Do the Rump") on their 2002 debut album The Big Come Up, and released the Kimbrough tribute album Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough in 2006.[8] Brown and Deaton had been recording at Easy Eye Sound studio concurrently along with Auerbach for the album Sharecropper's Son by Robert Finley, which lead to their availability for the Delta Kream sessions.[10]

In a statement, Auerbach said: "We made this record to honor the Mississippi hill country blues tradition that influenced us starting out. These songs are still as important to us today as they were the first day Pat and I started playing together and picked up our instruments."[11]

The album cover features a 1970s photograph by William Eggleston of the Delta Kream shop in Tunica, Mississippi, with an Oldsmobile Cutlass parked outside – the shop no longer exists.[12][13]

Promotion and release

The Black Keys announced Delta Kream on April 13, 2021, exclusively through their Lonely Boys and Girls fan club. Through the fan club, on the same day, they also released the album's lead single, a cover of Junior Kimbrough's version[8] of "Crawling Kingsnake".[14] It was released to digital music platforms two days later. Additionally, a music video for the song was released. Directed by Tim Hardiman, it features a performance of the song by the band at the Blue Front Cafe, owned by blues musician Jimmy "Duck" Holmes.[15]

Delta Kream was released on May 14, 2021, through Easy Eye Sound and Nonesuch Records on digital music platforms and physical media. The album's digital release includes a shortened edit of "Crawling Kingsnake" as a bonus track.[16] Physically, the album was made available to purchase as both a CD and double 12-inch vinyl record,[17] with standard black, limited edition "purple haze",[18] and Spotify user-exclusive pink[19] options available for the vinyl release.

Track listing

Delta Kream track listing
No.TitleCredited songwritersLength
1."Crawling Kingsnake"John Lee Hooker, Bernard Besman6:08
2."Louise"Johnnie Temple4:23
3."Poor Boy a Long Way from Home"R. L. Burnside4:08
4."Stay All Night"Junior Kimbrough5:44
5."Going Down South"R. L. Burnside3:48
6."Coal Black Mattie"Ranie Burnette3:48
7."Do the Romp"Junior Kimbrough5:01
8."Sad Days, Lonely Nights"Junior Kimbrough5:57
9."Walk with Me"Junior Kimbrough5:36
10."Mellow Peaches"Big Joe Williams3:47
11."Come On and Go with Me"Junior Kimbrough5:55
Total length:54:15
Digital bonus track
No.TitleCredited songwritersLength
12."Crawling Kingsnake" (edit)John Lee Hooker, Bernard Besman3:52
Total length:58:07

Personnel

The Black Keys

Additional personnel

Charts

References

  1. ^ "Critic Reviews for Delta Kream". Metacritic. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  2. ^ Collar, Matt. "Delta Kream – The Black Keys | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Lawson, Ed (May 14, 2021). "Album Review: The Black Keys – Delta Kream". DIY. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  4. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (May 14, 2021). "Delta Kream review: The Black Keys get rooted in new blues throwback album". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Buchanan, Rhys (May 13, 2021). "The Black Keys – 'Delta Kream' review: blues rockers honour their heroes with a rugged homage". NME. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (May 14, 2021). "The Black Keys: Delta Kream Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Reilly, Nick (April 15, 2021). "The Black Keys share 'Crawling Kingsnake' from new blues covers album 'Delta Kream'". NME. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Hudak, Joseph (April 15, 2021). "The Black Keys Preview New Album 'Delta Kream' With Ominous 'Crawling Kingsnake'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  9. ^ Rapp, Allison (April 15, 2021). "Black Keys Recorded New 'Delta Kream' LP in 'About 10 Hours'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  10. ^ O'Dowd, Peter. "The Black Keys Dive Deep Into Delta Blues For New Album 'Delta Kream'". Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  11. ^ Mamo, Heran (April 15, 2021). "The Black Keys Announce 10th Album 'Delta Kream,' Drop 'Crawling Kingsnake' Single: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Price, Mark J. (April 16, 2021). "See it now: The Black Keys release video for 'Crawling Kingsnake' from new album 'Delta Kream'". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  13. ^ Price, Mark J. (May 14, 2021). "Black Keys' Patrick Carney offers scoop on 'Delta Kream,' life during pandemic and things he misses about Akron". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  14. ^ Helman, Peter (April 13, 2021). "The Black Keys Announce Blues Covers Album Delta Kream". Stereogum. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  15. ^ Grant, Sarah (April 15, 2021). "Watch The Black Keys Perform 'Crawling Kingsnake' at Blue Front Cafe". Spin. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
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