10 Best Rock Music Album Openers Of The 2020s So Far

10. Crawling Kingsnake - Delta Kream (The Black Keys)

This list about the 2020s begins with a song from... 1941.

Right.

Crawling Kingsnake was first recorded by Big Joe Williams back in the days of World War II, but it may actually be even older, as versions of the song can be traced back to the 1920s. It was famously performed by blues legend John Lee Hooker, who helped improve its popularity, and then, 70 years after its first recording, The Black Keys had a go at it.

For their 2021 album Delta Kream, the duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney covered some of their favourite hill country blues songs and opened proceedings with a modernised version of Crawling Kingsnake.

Like the reptile its named after, this song slinks along in the smoothest of fashions, as Auerbach expertly deploys his guitar's volume to guide listeners along. All the other players are on fine form too, linking together beautifully, like the scales on a snake's back.

This version of Crawling Kingsnake has so much more excitement to it than the original, which sums up the mission statement of this album and this band; to breathe new life into a classic genre.