Dan Auerbach
Keep It Hid
Nonesuch Records [2009]
Keep It Hid is Dan Auerbach doing what he loves without overthinking it—blues-rock at the core, shaded with psychedelic Americana and Memphis-style R&B. Tracked at his Akron Analog studio with friends and family, the album feels warm-blooded and lived-in: dusty organs, rattling percussion, and guitar tones that curl like smoke around his vocals. It opens on a feint—the hushed acoustic “Trouble Weighs a Ton”—before he growls into “I Want Some More,” making it clear this is a full-band ride, not a stripped-down detour.
Across fourteen songs and about 50 minutes, Auerbach lets the arrangements breathe while keeping the hooks close. The haunted duet with Jessica Lea Mayfield on “When the Night Comes” lingers, “Street Walkin’” swings with a mean strut, and the production stays raw enough to feel immediate but rich enough to show new corners on repeat plays. Could these have been Black Keys tracks? Maybe. But Keep It Hid earns its own lane—groovy, gritty, and quietly expansive.
KEY TRACKS
“Trouble Weighs a Ton” / “When the Night Comes” / “Street Walkin’”
ARTISTS WITH SIMILAR FIRE
Tom Waits / William Elliott Whitmore / Bo Diddley
A lifelong fan of new music—spent the '90s working in a record store and producing alternative video shows. In the 2000s, that passion shifted online with blogging, diving headfirst into the indie scene and always on the lookout for the next great release. Still here, still listening, and still sharing the best of what’s new.
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
