Dan Auerbach
If you havent heard Dan Auerbachs first solo record yet, Ill save you the suspense: Yes. In most respects, Keep It Hid is almost indistinguishable from Auerbachs two-man band The Black Keys. Theres no mistaking his soulful howl for anyone elses. Yet there are differences. Keep It Hid is what the Keys might sound like if Auerbach and Patrick Carney decided to add a full band behind them. (On this tour, Austin band Hacienda is backing Auerbach). And this disc is more adventurous than the Keys, incorporating a more diverse range of folk, country, and soul influences. It moves beyond Auerbachs penchant for O.G. blues and psychedelic stoner rock. But still, Keep It Hid succeeds for the same reason the Keys do: because Auerbach mines the best in old-timey American roots music, mushing together harmonic folk ballads, blues rhythms, Doors-like organ freakouts, and fuzzy guitar solos like so much sonic Play-Doh. Instead of the ugly mess that can result from trying to do too much on a single record, Auerbach creates a balanced sound thats informed by nostalgia without drowning in it. SARA BRICKNER
Tue., March 10, 8 p.m., 2009
