A Solo Shot of The Blues

Dan Auerbach is one half of the bluesy indie rock, Akron, OH dynamic duo, The Black Keys. He released his first solo album, Keep It Hid, last month, which is steaming now on his individual MySpace page. What you don't know about Mr. Auerbach is that he is much more than the guitar slinging, jam rocking, hipster he appears to be when he fronts The Black Keys; he is actually a classic-styled singer-songwriter as well.

In Keep It Hid, Auerbach stays true to his Black Keys roots in some songs, such as "Heartbroken, In Disrepair", which stands out as excellent extensions of that music, but this tune also contains a reverb effect not often seen with beat producer and Keys band partner, Patrick Carney. He also branches out into folksy sounds in the lead track, "Trouble Weighs A Ton". "My Last Mistake" is a catchy, groovilicious song that could be played on mainstream modern rock radio. Auerbach channels the feel of Cat Stevens in "When The Night Comes" and cranks up the psychedelic touches in "The Prowl".

All in all, Auerbach shows he has something else in his repertoire besides deep down dirty blues. He has flavor to his soul. Check out Keep It Hid and other Black Keys projects coming up in the future.