Dan Auerbach – Waiting On A Song (Nonesuch)

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Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach takes a break from his day job and revels in the musical treasures to be found in his adopted home of Nashville.

Among those treasures are guitar legend Duane Eddy (the king of the twangy guitar), veteran keyboard session man Bobby Wood (contributed to classic recordings by Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield & Wilson Pickett), drummer Gene Chrisman (see Booby Wood credits), dobro maestro Jerry Douglas and songwriting legend John Prine.

Despite the roll call of guests, Waiting On A Song doesn’t come off as an exercise to show off famous neighbours, but rather a cosy get-together in Auerbach’s studio in which friends drop in to play a few licks and maybe a have beer or two.

The vibe and the songwriting style is definitely retro….reminding me of classic radio hits from the late 60s and early 70s…all featuring strong melodies, catchy hooks and verse, bridge, chorus structure.

The album leaps right out of the box with the title track…a co-write with John Prine about…songwriting. The pulsing bassline and chiming glockenspiel practically shout AM radio hit. The brief Duane Eddy guitar solo just adds to the appeal.

The following track, Malibu Man espouses the joys of moving from New York to California via a classic Bobby Wood organ intro and an arrangement that includes string and horns that toss in a wonderful sixties soul element…think an amalgamation of Motown, Stax and Philly Soul.

Livin’ In Sin draws from an even deeper well…reaching back to late 1950s gems by The Everly Brothers and Ricky Nelson while featuring more fine contributions by Eddy and Wood.

Auerbach himself is almost a side man on his own record. For the most part, his vocals are double-tracked which adds to the lush production, but takes away from the intimacy of his voice. He plays plenty of guitar, but so do the three or four other guitarists on the album, and most of the songs are co-writes.

Dan get a bit more personal on Never In My Wildest Dreams thanks to a more intimate vocal sound…no double-tracking…and a scaled down production that highlights Jerry Douglas’ dobro.

Probably the catchiest tune of the album is Shine On Me, a rousing rocker that sounds like an outtake from a Traveling Wilburys’ session. Mark Knopfler adds some rhythm guitar to that track, but, really, the focus is on the jaunty beat and the memorable chorus. It’ll be stuck in your head for days.

So, like Auerbach’s other non-Black Keys excursions, this is not a major musical statement, but rather an enjoyable, if somewhat slight, side-line that will have you tapping your toes and humming these tunes just like the old days.

Marty Duda

Marty Duda
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