Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach follows up the success of his group's last album Attack and Release (hailed by many as one of the best albums of 2008) with his solo debut, but doesn't stray far from the guitar heavy blues rock his band are known for. Opening Keep It Hid with a low key bluegrass tune may mislead listeners to the contrary, as it sees him mature in the folk tradition, but it's not long before we're greeted by the kind of solid riffage fans have come to expect from Auerbach.
The sound here is very much old-school, whether that's the school of early rock 'n' roll, Otis Reading style soul, 60s psychedelic garage music, 70s guitar a la Jimi Hendrix, Smiths style pedal effects, or even Coral-esque twists. With so many reference points, it's amazing Auerbach pulls them together so cohesively, but he does, and somehow manages to give this album a character that permeates consistently throughout. Auerbach's vocals might be the key to this, despite being drowned in layers of effects.
The downfall of Keep It Hid is only that it doesn't take Auerbach far enough out of his comfort zone. The pure bluegrass simplicity of Trouble Weighs a Ton, the synthetic strings of When The Night Comes and the short-lived randomness of Because I Should highlight his dexterity but go just a short way to broadening his scope. Still, plenty of juicy, deep and dank blues to keep you rocking for quite a while.
