The Black Keysrelease their tenth studio album,DeltaKream,via Nonesuch Records. The recordcelebrates the bands roots, featuring eleven Mississippi hill country blues standards that they have loved since they were teenagers, before they were a band, including songs by R. L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, among others.Dan AuerbachandPatrick CarneyrecordedDelta Kreamat Auerbachs Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville; they were joined by musiciansKenny BrownandEric Deaton, long-time members of the bands of blues legends including R. L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. The album takes its name from William Egglestons iconic Mississippi photograph that is on its cover. Auerbach says of the album, 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. It was a very inspiring session with Pat and me along with Kenny Brown and Eric Deaton in a circle, playing these songs. It felt so natural. Carney concurs, The session was planned only days in advance and nothing was rehearsed. We recorded the entire album in about ten hours, over two afternoons, at the end of theLets Rocktour. Auerbach says ofDeltaKreamsfirst singleCrawling Kingsnake: I first heard [John Lee Hookers version in high school. My uncle Tim would have given me that record. But our version is definitely Junior Kimbroughs take on it. Its almost a disco riff! Carney adds, We fell into this drum intro; its kind of accidental. The ultimate goal was to highlight the interplay between the guitars. My role with Eric was to create a deeper groove. The music from northern Mississippi, which came to life in juke joints, has long left an imprint on the bands music, from their cover of R.L. Burnides Busted and Junior Kimbroughs Do The Romp on their debut album,The Big Come Up; to their subsequent signing to Fat Possum Records, home to many of their musical heroes; and to their EP of Junior Kimbrough covers,Chulahoma. Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys, who have been calledrock royalty by the Associated Press andone of the best rock n roll bandson the planet byUncut, are guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. Cutting their teeth playing small clubs, the band have gone on to sell out arena tours and have released nine previous studio albums: their debutThe Big Come Up(2002), followed byThickfreakness(2003) andRubber Factory(2004), along with their releases on Nonesuch Records,Magic Potion(2006),Attack Release(2008),Brothers(2010),El Camino(2011),Turn Blue(2014) and, most recently, Lets Rock (2019), plus and a tenth anniversary edition ofBrothers(2020). The band has won six Grammy Awards and a BRIT and headlined festivals in North America, South America, Mexico, Australia, and Europe.