Out on his own, Keys singer Auerbach has a blast
Nothing Black Keys singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach does is obvious. He's a 29-year-old dude from the suburbs of Ohio who, with drummer Patrick Carney, cut his teeth playing ancient hill-country blues in the vein of R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough but reserved the right to cover a Beatles tune or two.
In town Sunday night as part of a two-week tour for "Keep It Hid," his new solo album (which actually sounds more like a fleshed-out group effort than anything the Black Keys have recorded), Auerbach took the Paradise stage backed by more musicians than he's ever had in tow - the excellent four-piece Texas-based outfit Hacienda, as well as second drummer Patrick Hallahan from the Kentucky psychedelic-country explorers My Morning Jacket.
Auerbach's decision to augment his fantastically tight assemblage with Hallahan on a variety of percussion - congas, shakers, and second drum kit - only added to the sustained sense of hoodoo magic being conjured.
The sold-out crowd certainly got what it came to hear: 90 minutes of blissfully loud, fiercely focused rock 'n' roll with heart and soul. "The Prowl" (a new song, like many of the selections Sunday) was a gritty saunter through darkened streets, replete with spooky organ. That soon gave way to the liberating uplift of "My Last Mistake" - an infectiously high-spirited rocker about a man asking his lover if he's messed up their relationship for good this time.
The bearded, blond-ish Auerbach and his big Gretsch guitar bobbed and weaved inside the music, dipping down and jumping up with each joyful riff, all of it a heady mix of concentration and loosed glee. Clad in jeans, black leather vest, and work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, Auerbach looked like a lumberjack's apprentice or a scruffy Outward Bound leader.
In a sense, he was both. His guitar solos were compact, penetrating bursts of roughed-up chords that chopped predictable blues-rock cliches to ribbons. And while easy to overlook, Auerbach's voice proved an invaluable asset. It sounded right at home with belted blues shouts, naturally, but also held soulful embraces on the soft, gospel-tinged opener, "Trouble Weighs a Ton."
Those Darlins, an all-female Tennessee trio whose amiably goofy songs sounded almost as good as the ladies looked in miniskirts, high-heeled boots, and even higher hair, opened with a 30-minute set of tunes about getting drunk and eating chicken, among other worthwhile topics. Hirsute rockers Hacienda (who would later take the stage with Auerbach) followed with an enjoyable if not groundbreaking set of shaggy '70s-style rock.
