The Black Keys & RZA - The Baddest Man Alive

The Black Keys have been highly suggestive of late. Well, at least dropping enough hints here and there that new material might not be too far in the future for the pair. And, while not a follow-up to worldwide smash ‘El Camino’, or even that much of a hint of what 2013 might have in store for the Ohio duo, today did see a new track emerge.

Dan and Patrick have teamed up with the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA for one of the songs on the soundtrack to ‘The Man with the Iron Fists’, the film co-written and directed by the star, and released next month. Their ‘The Baddest Man Alive’ is the latest of the film’s score to be unveiled.

It’s a heady – and successful – mix. The Black Keys’ trademark blues riffs can sometimes sound too clean, too polished. Here (you’d hope so – it’s a martial arts movie) they’re darker and dirtier. Add to that the poetically brutal lyrics from both Dan Auerbach and RZA’s parts (“take the pitchfork from the devil”, “take a a gasoline bath then I walk through fire”) and the clever mix of themes, wordplay and blues rhythm creates a suitably exaggerated track to show off the character’s apparent reputation.