Guitarist Dan Auerbach has a new solo album coming out on Feb 10th.  You probably know Dan Auerbach from his work the Akron, OH duo The Black Keys.  Auerbach wrote ‘Keep It Hid’ at the same time the band was recording Attack & Release with famed producer Danger Mouse - just a testament to this guy’s song writing ability.  ‘Keep It Hid’ is a 14-track solo effort and from what we’ve heard it’s as good as any Black Keys album to date.

Dan Auerbach is also doing a 14 night tour to support the new album that starts on Feb 28 in Washington D.C. and ends out on the west coast in L.A.  Full story…

So far the album is getting good pre-release reviews - Uncut gave it 4 stars, and the Guardian.co.uk also has raved about the album.  If you’re interested in giving it a listen just head over to Dan Auerbach’s MySpace page - you can stream it for free.  Some of our favorites include “Goin’ Home” and “Trouble Weighs a Ton”.

Pat Carney (Black Key’s drummer) isn’t featured on the album.  While it doesn’t sound too far off from what The Black Keys are doing, Auerbach says it gave him the chance to “explore  vocal harmonies with different people, and different rhythms and song structures.”  I also love this quote from Auerbach in the Uncut article - “I’m finding it increasingly difficult to listen to any music that was recorded after 1971.”  Some days it really does feel that way.

The Black Keys and Auerbach inevitably draw comparisons from that other duo The White Stripes, however we think these two bands are pretty different - and the name “The Black Keys” is most certainly not a play on The White Stripe’s own name.  The band’s name originates from a friend that would refer to them, and others that “just aren’t right” as “black keys.”