Dropout Boogie
| The Black Keys
Dropout Boogie
Dropout Boogie is the eleventh studio album by American rock duo the Black Keys. It was released on May 13, 2022, by Easy Eye Sound and Nonesuch Records. The album was preceded by the release of two singles: the lead single "Wild Child", which was released on March 10, 2022, in conjunction with the album announcement,and "It Ain't Over", which was released on April 27, 2022. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Guitar
A STRIPPED-BACK BLUES-BAR BONANZA THAT PROVES THE BLACK KEYS HAVE STILL GOT IT.
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Pitchfork
Even with the help of outside songwriters and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, the blues-rock duo can’t help reverting to the same old same old.
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Rolling Stone
Black Keys Get Loose and Stretch Out on ‘Dropout Boogie’.
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NME
Down-the-line rock destined for good times.
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The Fire Note
In a world where pop music has abandoned the guitar for beats per minute drum loops and crafty keyboard sequences, Black Keys remind us that music made be people, soulful and from the heart, played skillfully with passion, remains the real deal.
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The Guardian
There are great moments, and some inane ones too, on the US rockers’ 11th studio album.
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Louder
Modern rock’n’roll doesn’t get any better than this.
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Ultimate Classic Rock
Brothers remains Auerbach and Carney's shining moment, but this brief blast (34 minutes!) recalls a time before that pivotal record, when instinct took precedent over aspiration.
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PopMatters
Primarily fashioned in Southern rock and soul jams, the Black Keys’ Dropout Boogie will make you do what the name suggests: boogie.
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No Depression
The Black Keys Keep Their Groove Going on ‘Dropout Boogie’.
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DIY Magazine
This might actually be the most varied record they’ve made in a decade.
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Stereoboard
Blues-rock can easily sound cliched so hearing the band dish out a bunch of covers based on their own favourites from the genre was somewhat unexciting. What ‘Dropout Boogie’ underlines is how easily The Black Keys can craft their own blues-rock gems, so why bother covering anything at all when it’s as natural as this?
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Spinning Platters
The latter half of the album is less catchy, but more groovy, ending with the crunchy jam “Didn’t I Love You”, which is also the longest song on the album and a first take recording, but still only 4:02. Dropout Boogie is efficient rock ‘n’ roll, partly due to Carney’s wife, pop-rock musician Michelle Branch, who he claims in an interview with Billboard.com encouraged trimming a few songs out. At ten tracks, it’s their shortest record to date, and concludes just as comfortably as it began.
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Sputnik Music
As a result, Dropout Boogie ended up being both lightweight and simple, although it is also somewhat unfocused and dispensable, but that is if we turn on a serious critic mode. But there is no need to do it right now, the status of The Black Keys allows them to take a breather.
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Hotpress
Although it's more than most bands can manage, Dropout Boogie is probably closer to a decent EP than a satisfying album; they're throwing some nice shapes but The Black Keys are boogieing on the spot rather than dancing forward.
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mxdwn Music
The Black Keys’ Dropout Boogie is a bluesy, funky and grainy album. It is an ideal listen for a road trip on dusty backroads. While still sticking to the tried and true, this album also dabbles with experimental sounds that added a surprising benefit to the overall sound. Dropout Boogie has a shake, rattle and roll vibe that will have listeners jiving everywhere.
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Americana Highways
The result is Dropout Boogie, a tight set of funk ‘n’ blues that plays to the band’s strengths.
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Tuonela Magazine
In conclusion, the album as a whole may not exactly be an “all killer, no filler” deal. Still, it comes with quite a few quality moments – enough to justify its place right next to those previous THE BLACK KEYS studio albums that you have in your CD collection. Let’s face it: if you are one of those blues-traditionalists or neo-soul fan-boys who fell big for bands such as THE WHITE STRIPES, THE HIVES, or THE STROKES some 20 years ago, you are going to like this album, no matter what.
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Northern Transmissions
I’ve been a fan of The Black Keys since I heard their debut album The Big Come Up during my college radio days in the mid-2000s. In fact, I still have it on purple vinyl hanging around somewhere in storage. Going from that time to now, there’s been a substantial progression as with any established act. What I appreciate about both Auerbach and Carney these days is how they walk the path of trying out new ideas while maintaining their artistic foundation, which can be a hard thing to do. That’s why Dropout Boogie is a great record and I definitely recommend pressing that play button and diving into it.
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Vinyl Chapters
As Auerbach sings on Your Team Is Looking Good, “Your team is looking good / But not as good as ours,”—and after 21 years of making music together, you can’t really argue with them. Nevertheless, the album is just as safe as it is strong, with not many standout moments. It’s more of a feeling than a fan-favourite, more of a jukebox-in-the-diner hit than an arena-filler—but maybe that’s just part of its stripped-back, basement-blues charm.
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Clunk Magazine
Running at only thirty four minutes, ‘Dropout Boogie’ doesn’t feel rushed or too short. Instead, The Black Keys reach out of the speaker and drag you into their dark and hazy world. For a band eleven albums into their career, The Black Keys have absolutely no right to be creating albums as incendiary as this.
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Music Matters Media
A lot has changed since the Allman’s dominated the album-oriented rock airwaves together with groups such as ZZ Top, Little Feat, and Grand Funk Railroad. The hard-living life of sex, drugs, and rock & roll died out with a lethal fusion of pills and whiskey decades ago, and to capture this spirit in 2022 seems impossible. Dropout Boogie sometimes loses its steam and it never sounds dangerous enough, but it’s a good attempt at boogie rock and it will probably please everyone not afraid of being accused of reactionism.
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QRO Magazine
The Black Keys are still a blues-rock band, first & foremost, and reviving their roots has meant sticking to them, making Dropout not wildly varied. But this is the Black Keys Boogie you’re looking for.
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Mystic Sons
There are the occasional moments of brilliance on 'Dropout Boogie', but it largely just trundles along without making too much of a fuss. It is clear that they have reverted back to the smoother and more heartfelt side of their aesthetic in recent years, but with such a legacy behind them, this one has trouble finding its feet.
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Exclaim!
On the one hand, the Black Keys sound right at home jamming on a shaggy blues groove; on the other, they're still still making music that, whether accidentally or by design, sounds like it was specifically created for Sportsnet's music director. Dropout Boogie is good at both sounds, but not amazing at either.
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Redwood Bark
This album is not necessarily atrocious in any way, but it leaves the listener wanting more, especially with a band as talented and as decorated as the Black Keys. Listeners should make sure to check out the opening track, and maybe the third as well. Other than that, “Dropout Boogie” largely falls flat.
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