El Camino by The Black Keys

Released:  December 6, 2011
Rating:  80

The Black Keys are a twosome from Akron Ohio, with Dan Auerbach on Guitar and Patrick Carney on drums.  They have a brilliant, trashy, blues-rock sound.  There is definitely a nod to classic rock here, updated for the 21st century.

My only challenge with this album was to decide, for each song, if I was totally blown away, or just loved the song.  The biggest competition for each song was the next song.

This album screamed up to my top 3 for 2011 and  I can't say it too strongly: if you don't already have it, get it.  If you need some convincing, try a couple of the songs by clicking the links to youtube for the official videos of Lonely Boy or Gold On The Ceiling.

I suffer from the affliction of many music snobs: if I really like a band that nobody knows, and then they become popular, I become a little disenchanted. I'm trying to overcome this and the Black Keys are helping. It also helps that my guy, Danger Mouse, produced this album.

To be fair to my fellow music fans out there, this is their 7th album and I've only been a fan since 2008's Attack and Release (another Danger Mouse produced album). The world seemed to take notice in 2010, when Brothers was nominated for 5 Grammies and won 3, including Best Alternative Music Album.

This wraps up 2011!  Time to start the 2012 collection.

Undun by The Roots

Released:  December 6, 2011
Rating:  78.18

The surprising thing about this album isn't that it's only my second rap album of 2011, or that it's my second rap album in a row.  Not even that it's rated so highly.  The surprise, for me, is that it's a December release.  December usually stinks for good music.  It's a great month for box sets and bubble gum pop, but I haven't bought a December release in 3 years!

I hope you're aware of the roots.  They are amazing.  Formed by ?uestlove and Black Thought in 1987 as street rappers in Philidelphia, they're now Jimmy Fallon's house band.  (Full disclosure:  I only became fully aware of them last year with the incredible How I got Over.)

I would urge that you give them a chance, regardless of your musical leanings.  Try a couple of my favorites by clicking on the links below to youtube:

• The tragic Sleep.
• The cool funk of Lighthouse.

If you want something totally different from a hip-hop crew, search out the calssically orchestrated Redford Suite.  A series of 4 instrumental tracks featuring strings, piano and ?uestlove's drums.

And now a note about the rating: I combined the rating for the Redford suite into a single rating of 3 stars (I like it a lot).  If each track had been rated independently, the sum total would have been closer to 75.