Dan Auerbach has been clear: he does not want Peaches!, the latest LP from his blues-rock duo The Black Keys, to be labeled a “covers album.” According to the band’s press materials, the record is intended as a “retelling” of its source material. Yet, despite the semantic gymnastics, the reality remains that this project—the band’s third in as many years—is, at its core, a collection of spontaneous interpretations of 20th-century blues cuts.
Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney reportedly crafted these ten tracks to evoke the raw, unpolished energy of their early work, such as The Big Come Up and Thickfreakness. However, the result feels less like a return to form and more like the sonic equivalent of pre-distressed denim: it looks worn-in, but the effect is entirely manufactured. While the duo claims the album was recorded live in a room with minimal overdubs, the presence of additional musicians—including guitarist Kenny Brown, bassist Eric Deaton, and multi-instrumentalist Jimbo Mathus—often muddies the mix, turning what should be a lean, punchy record into a sludgy, overcrowded affair.
The charm of the early Black Keys sound was rooted in the chemistry between just two people. On Peaches!, that intimacy is lost. Tracks like their rendition of Wilko Johnson’s “She Does It Right” suffer as Auerbach’s guitar solos struggle to cut through the noise of a larger ensemble. Similarly, R.L. Burnside’s “Fireman Ring the Bell” feels cluttered, with Brown joining Carney on drums, ultimately detracting from the song’s impact. It is a stark contrast to the band’s former status as festival titans, now attempting to fabricate the grit of an Ohio garage within the confines of a high-end Nashville studio.
The album’s “first-thought-best-thought” approach also leads to significant issues with quality control. Tracks like Ike Turner’s “You Got to Lose” and Big Lucky Carter’s “Stop Arguing over Me” feel interchangeable, relying on repetitive blues shredding that lacks a distinct identity. The seven-minute sprawl of Junior Kimbrough’s “Nobody But You Baby” is particularly aimless, dragging on far longer than its substance warrants.
Ultimately, while the musicians involved may have enjoyed the process of recording these tracks, the listening experience is a different story. Peaches! lacks the discernment and curation required to make such a project compelling. It is a record that feels like a dashed-off afterthought—a random jam session that, despite Auerbach’s protestations, remains a perfunctory and largely uninspired covers album.
