The Black Keys' new album is some very famous 'friends making music'

Rock duo The Black Keys have teamed up with Beck, Noel Gallagher and many more of their artist friends for a new album - "Ohio Players" - which harmoniously brings the different influences together.

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are two friends from Akron, Ohio, and long-term partners as blues rock duo The Black Keys. Their latest studio album, out April 5, pays homage to their roots in the US Midwest. The title, "Ohio Players," was inspired by the 70s funk band of the same name from Dayton, Ohio, a three hours' drive from the city where Auerbach and Carney would later launch their careers.

For their latest record, the six-time Grammy winners enlisted a number of their artist friends for inspiration. Songwriting greats such as Beck and Noel Gallagher, producers Dan The Automator and Greg Kurstin and rappers Juicy J and Lil Noid have all contributed to the album, plus many others.

Friends making music

"We had this epiphany: 'We can call our friends to help us make music,'" Carney was quoted as saying in a press release.

"It's funny because we both write songs with other people – Dan all the time [as a solo artist and producer], me when I'm producing a record. That's what we do."

So many of the songs on "Ohio Players" were born in sessions with the VIP guests. "On the Game," "Only Love Matters" and "You'll Pay" - all Noel Gallagher collaborations - were each recorded in one session as a team effort.

The results of the collaborations are mixed, combining funk, soul and pop with dirty rock.

"We were unafraid to have fun," Auerbach says, "and dip into everything we've always loved."

A particularly large part of the album's groove can be attributed to Beck, for whom the duo opened shows in 2003. Beck worked on seven of the 14 tracks as songwriter, as well as contributing vocals and instruments. He was heavily involved in both the opener "This Is Nowhere" and the closing track "Everytime You Leave."

A more polished record

Recorded in a handful of studios in California, Nashville and London, "Ohio Players" sounds a little more polished all round than its creaky blues predecessor "Dropout Boogie" released in 2022.

Despite all the contributions from friends, The Black Keys also bring tried and tested elements back to the record: Auerbach's distinctive voice and Carney's booming drums still come across effortlessly and playfully even after more than 20 years of band history.

Friendships in the music business are not necessarily destined to last. The Black Keys, however, are still as tight as can be, having written four albums together in five years, following a creative break from 2014 to 2019.

"Our relationship is tighter than it's ever been," says Auerbach. And "Ohio Players," he adds, has "brought us closer together - in a really musical way."

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