The Black Keys

3/5 stars

‘Live at the Crystal Ballroom’ DVD

Nonesuch Records

The latest live concert DVD from the Akron, Ohio, blues-rock duo The Black Keys was recorded in front of a sold-out crowd at the legendary Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Ore. While vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Pat Carney may not be the most technically advanced musicians, their passionate live performance and raw style have steadily increased their fan base in recent years.

The setlist features 17 songs from the band’s five albums, with a heavy emphasis on the their latest record, “Attack and Release.” The performances of the songs are stripped down from their album versions, which included guest instrumentalists and heavy amounts of engineering and effects from producer Danger Mouse. Highlights from the set include a drum-heavy “Thickfreakness” and a quality version of “Stack Shot Billy” that showcases Auerbach’s finger-picking skills.

The bonus material features three music videos, a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of their video for “Your Touch” and a brief glimpse into the recording process of the Keys’ latest album. While you get to see short clips of musicians and engineers working on “Attack and Release,” the footage seems entirely too short.

The Black Keys have tour dates scheduled into next year, when Auerbach will head out on his own tour promoting his first solo album, “Keep It Hid,” due for a Feb. 10 release.

— James Lovett/The Daily

Various Artists

4/5 stars

‘Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson – Music from the Film’

Legacy Recordings

Hunter S. Thompson once posted a sign in his home that read, “No Music = Bad Mood = No Pages.” The famed journalist and attempted politician thrived on a diverse blend of music to fuel his writing.

The soundtrack to the recent documentary on Thompson’s life is more than a companion piece to the film — it’s another way to approach the man himself. The album is filled with the music that inspired Thompson, including the funk jam “Gonzo” by James Booker, Lou Reed’s glam rock classic “Walk on the Wild Side” and the bluesy stomp “Maggie’s Farm” by Bob Dylan.

Short spoken-word tracks that include some of Thompson’s writing and narration from the film by Johnny Depp are interspersed between tracks.

Soundtracks, especially those with a random assortment of various artists, can be unfocused, pointless rehashing of familiar work, but the “Gonzo” soundtrack functions more like a story. There’s a loose narrative element thanks to the spoken-word tracks, and despite the eclecticism of the music, it’s a coherent assembly of songs.

The typical soundtrack experience just wouldn’t seem fitting for Thompson. The film is also available on DVD now.

— Dusty Somers/The Daily

Regis Philbin

‘The Regis Philbin Christmas Album’

Hollywood Records

Cheese factor: 3/5 stars

Hey, have you ever wondered what it would be like to hear Regis Philbin sing “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer?”

Me neither.

But you can imagine my excitement today when somebody whom I prefer not to mention, out of respect for her reputation, gave me the 2005 release “The Regis Philbin Christmas Album” from her personal collection.

There are no surprises here. It’s exactly how you’d imagine poor Regis singing. It’s more like sustained talking, only with that extra annoying tone that only Regis can muster. The accompanying music has some jazz influences, only it’s the cheesy lounge-singer piano jazz, which is nowhere near as cool as real jazz. It’s in the musical style of the Rat Pack’s Christmas songs — whose days are long gone — which unfortunately hasn’t occurred to Regis yet. “The Regis Philbin Christmas Album” should have come out in 1999 when Philbin was still somewhat relevant; I may have been more inclined to take it seriously. But alas, in his old age, Philbin decided that America needed another cheesy Christmas album (and his opinion is not to be trusted; after all, he voted for Taft!). Philbin is so old that he’s actually too incapacitated to do his own TV show — they just dub his voice and put peanut butter in his mouth to make it look like he’s talking.

But let’s continue.

There are a few traditional Christmas carols on the album, such as “Rudolph,” which, oddly enough, features guest vocals from the illustrious Donald Trump. (It’s not as exciting as you think, just imagine “Rudolph, you’re hired. Blitzen, you’re fired.) We also get to hear “Let it Snow” and “Silver Bells,” as well as some lesser known Christmas songs like “Marshmallow World” and “The Christmas Song.”

As much as I want to hate on Regis some more, I actually think it’s an appropriate album to play at your Christmas parties. It has the right amount of cheesiness to make it fun. He’s not that great of a singer (Kenny Rogers’ beard could out-sing Regis), but it’s just cheesy enough to be humorous, and not so cheesy that your CD player actually rejects it. I mean it’s bad. Really bad. But “The Regis Philbin Christmas Album” has just enough charisma to make it through your Christmas party without turning people away. The most you’ll get will be a few people shaking their heads while saying: “Seriously?”

And that’s exactly what you want from an obscure Christmas album.

— Tyler Branson/The Daily