Ohio Players by the Black Keys review: Rock duo’s most joyful and punchy work in more than a decade

The Black Keys have lived through a lot. When they got together in Akron, Ohio, back in 2001, life (and music) was fuzzy and exciting. Then came a period of formal experimentation — the psychedelicizing of an American rock duo, if you will — before it all got a bit lost in the suburbia of mom truck music. But Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s partnership is nothing if not resilient. And with Ohio Players they’ve turned in their most joyful and punchy work in more than a decade… with a little help from their friends. Beck, the California king of cool, co-wrote seven of the 14 tracks, and multiple guests feature throughout — including Noel Gallagher. Beck’s contributions are immediately distinguishable, as on the Odelay-like Live Till I Die, and they reinvigorate the woozy neo-soul swoon that made their name in the first place. There’s a blending of rap and rock on Paper Crown and the Californication-esque Candy And Her Friends, balanced with Beatles-esque slower jams. So yes, The Black Keys are back, with an album that’s not half bad — and it ain’t even country.