Album review overview: The Black Keys, Baest and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are way too many to listen to them all, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why today we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews.

Auri – III – Candles & Beginnings

The third album from Auri, the project of Nightwish keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, once again brings a tranquil and contemplative journey through a world of folkloric beauty. “III – Candles & Beginnings” opens with the ethereal “The Space Between”, where Johanna Kurkela’s angelic voice perfectly merges with the delicate arrangements. Tracks such as “Pearl Diving” and “Skeleton Tree” showcase the band’s mastery in creating intimate soundscapes where every note holds meaning. The collaboration between Holopainen’s compositions and Troy Donockley’s diverse instrumentation results in an album that is both soothing and emotionally profound. Songs like “Night 13” and “The Valley” range from whisper-soft ballads to more layered compositions where traditional Celtic influences are prominently present. The album takes you on a meditative journey through seasons of loss and hope, where each track works as a story in itself, whilst also contributing to the greater whole. (Elodie Renard) (8/10) (Nuclear Blast)

The Black Keys – No Rain, No Flowers

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney prove that setbacks can lead to renewal. After their cancelled arena tour of 2024 and the dismissal of their management, The Black Keys dove into the studio for their thirteenth album. The result is surprisingly resilient and sunny, despite the dark background. The title track, written with Rick Nowels (known from Lana Del Rey), immediately sets the tone: “The damage is done, it won’t be long till we’re back in the sun.” The collaboration with producers such as Scott Storch and Daniel Tashian gives the album more soul and piano sounds than usual. Highlights include the groovy “Babygirl”, the psychedelic “On Repeat” and “Man On A Mission”, reminiscent of the energy of their classic “Lonely Boy”. The album sounds like a modern answer to their golden period around “Brothers”, but more mature and reflective. Criticism: Some songs fall into complacency where more edge would have been appropriate. But The Black Keys demonstrate that after more than two decades, their blues-rock is still relevant. A welcome return after a difficult year. (Jan Vranken) (7/10) (Easy Eye Sound/Warner Records)

Cowboy Mouth – Cover Yo’ Azz

Alas, woe to the person who sits rather gloomily by his record player with his stack of records featuring the work of an early ZZ Top and the live albums of Little Feat and The Allman Brothers, complainingly pondering that Southern rock is essentially quite dead. Perhaps this “Cover Yo’ Azz” by Cowboy Mouth offers hope. Although the band from New Orleans has been around since 1992, the group has never really achieved great success. Moreover, due to the absence of box office hits, they were dropped by the record company in 2000. Will this album then deliver success? When you see that the single “Just Another Night” has been listened to a mere 7,000 times on Spotify after its release on 11th July, the answer speaks for itself. Furthermore, opening a record with a folk/rockabilly rendition of “My Way” is not recommended – few songs have been more trampled as covers than Sinatra’s “My Way”. Skip and go directly to the second track, “The Real Me”, a track that bursts at the seams with energy, partly due to the addition of brass. And with that energy, Cowboy Mouth thunders on with iron-strong songs like “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday” and “Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves”. In this sort of work, the band is at its best. Unfortunately, the group does offend against a classic towards the end of the record and Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” is done to death. Mercury would perhaps have seen the humour in it, but we don’t. We’ll play ZZ Top, Little Feat and Allman Brothers once more. (6/10) (Jeroen Mulder) (Cowboy Mouth)

Baest – Colossal

The Danish death metallers of Baest deliver their most refined work to date with “Colossal”, without losing their brutal core. The album opens devastatingly with “The Forge”, where vocalist Simon Olsen delivers his most venomous performance yet above a wall of destructive riffs. Tracks such as “Colossus” and “Ivory Tower” show the band’s evolution towards more technical compositions, whilst the foundation of Scandinavian death metal remains intact. Jacob Hansen’s production gives each instrument room to breathe, which particularly benefits Sebastian Aune’s complex drum patterns. Songs like “Towers of War” and “Abysmal Descent” vary between raging blast beats and grooving passages that connect perfectly with Lasse Revsbech’s bass lines. The guitar work of Peter and Mattias Bøg Jensen creates a wall of sound that is both melodic and devastating. “Colossal” proves that Baest is ready for the next step in their career without losing their identity. (Anton Dupont) (8/10) (Century Media)

Eva Carboni – The Blues Archives

This vocalist hails from Sassari in Sardinia. Eva Carboni has also made quite a name for herself internationally. This powerful vocalist, who studied singing at the Vocal Power Academy in Los Angeles, has collaborated with artists such as Buddy Guy, Zucchero, Derek Wilson and many others. Although blues is her preference, she is a versatile vocalist who switches just as easily to rock, jazz and R&B. She is co-founder of the Birdland Jazz Club in her birthplace. In 2019, Eva’s first album, “Italia Square” was released. From this first album onwards, Eva has worked with British producer and songwriter Andy Littlewood, who can be heard on this album “The Blues Archives” on guitar, keyboards and bass and also handled the production. All eleven songs were also written by him, three of which were in collaboration with Mick Simpson, who plays lead guitar here. Also featured are drummer Pete Nelson, guitarist Andreus Linsdell and harmonica player Dave Hunt. The album has indeed become a sort of blues archive. It consists of a collection of previously unreleased numbers and remixes. Not a hastily gathered bunch, fortunately, but a fine balance of blues, soul and rock. The album opens with the slow blues “Someone Else’s Life” and ends with the sensitive “Wrong Turn”. Along the way, Eva shows a multitude of her vocal qualities, from sultry nightclub singing to the somewhat rawer and more rocking work. Numbers that in my opinion deserve special mention are “River Of Life”, the current single “The Magic” and the aforementioned “Wrong Turn”, with which the album concludes. Even though it’s a collection of old material, “The Blues Archives” has still become a beautifully cohesive whole with lovely numbers that were still on the shelf, and some fine remixes. All this was performed by top musicians and an exceptionally good vocalist. In short, a successful project. (Eric Campfens) (8/10) (Mad Ears Productions)