Reviews:

The Black Keys: Dan Auerbach (vocals, guitar, guitars); Patrick Carney (drums).
Personnel: Marc Ribot (guitar); Ralph Carney (e flat clarinet); Danger Mouse (piano, organ, Moog synthesizer).
Audio Mixers: Danger Mouse; Kentaro Takahaski; The Black Keys.
Recording information: Suma Recording Studio, Paineville, OH (08/09/2007-08/23/2007).
Initially planned as a collaboration between the Black Keys and Ike Turner, ATTACK AND RELEASE became solely a Black Keys project when Turner died in late 2007. Under the producing hand of Danger Mouse--who had introduced the Akron duo to Turner--ATTACK AND RELEASE continued the Keys' progression from scabrous blues avatars to elder statesmen in full command of their muse.
Bolstered by Danger Mouse's bizarro pop sensibility, the arrangements eschew heavy bluster in favor of a more expansive pallet. Signature Keys blues stomps such as "I Got Mine" and "Strange Times" are cut by soul experiments such as "Remember When (Side A)" and "Things Ain't Like They Used To Be" that emotionally unfold over patient tempos. The Black Keys always were in the vanguard of the thousands of Zep-worshipping bands, but ATTACK AND RELEASE finally puts them at the top of the heap.