Dan Auerbach’s Second Solo Album: Worth Waiting For
Dan Auerbach – Waiting On A Song
Easy Eye Sound Records
By Ian Bremner, Old Rookie
You can call him a work-a-holic or simply a music addict, but Dan Auerbach always dips his hands in multiple projects coming out of his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Since the Black Keys have been on hiatus, the group’s frontman has produced for the likes of Valerie June, Hanni El Khatib, Bombino, Dr. John, Nikki Lane AND released an LP and a couple EPs for his side-project band, The Arcs.
On top of all that, Auerbach released his second solo record early this year. His first, 2009’s Keep It Hid is a bit of a cult classic for Black Keys fans. It’s fuzzy and garage-y but a bit slower and beautifully produced. If Keep it Hid was symbol in time for where Dan Auerbach was at musically, his new one, Waiting On A Song is its 2017 equal.
Waiting On A Song is a glittery, late 60’s pop record with a slight twang. It was born out of his daily routine of arriving to his own studio, Easy Eye Sound, at 9:30 a.m. everyday with legends of Nashville including Duane Eddy, John Prine, David Ferguson, Jerry Douglas and even non-Nashvillian Mark Knopler. Auerbach would write songs all week and spend the weekends recording. Throughout 2016 he amassed hundreds of songs and he chose 10 of his favorites for the record.
The end-result is a very sunny-day, easy-listening vibe filled with three minute AM radio pop tunes. The lead single, “Shine On Me” nears the level of inexcusably cheesy, but excluding a few moments here and there, Waiting On A Song can’t help but leave the listener in a good place. The title track and “Never In My Wildest Dreams” offer some singer/songwriter flashes and songs like “Cherrybomb” and “Undertow” showcase the unique sounds that Auerbach has become known for.
Lyrically, Waiting On A Song is by no means groundbreaking, but sonically, it certainly accomplishes the vision Dan Auerbach so clearly set out for. It has been dubbed his love letter to Nashville and in that sense, it’s an undisputed success. As the record cover suggests, Waiting On A Song perhaps is best enjoyed with a light shadow on the ground and the sun in your eyes. – (7/10)
Listen to Waiting On A Song in full via Spotify
Check out more from Ian on his blog, Old Rookie