THE BLACK KEYS are Dan Auerbach together with comrade Patrick Carney. They've delivered five superb albums since 2002, the most recent of which (‘Attack & Release’) was produced by Gnarls Barkley-brain, Danger Mouse. ‘A good album’, wrote HUMO ‘but this week an even better one will be released and Keys frontman Dan Auerbach made it entirely on his own’.
On that first solo album ‘Keep It Hid’ Auerbach leaves the paths just recently trodden by the Black Keys but still sneaks in warm dollops of gospel and bluegrass in the swinging, sometimes Link Wray-reminiscent boogie. Juicy!

‘This is heavy rock with it's roots still evident: shades of gospel and soul, even bluegrass...It's redemption, heaven, and rebirth, though not necessarily in that order’. (Uncut ****)
‘And although it heads off in all directions, from country to musique concrete, it's atmosphere - brooding, close - that holds it all together’. (Mojo ****)
‘Accompanied by a rhythmic thump, these slow-rolling tales of bad moons, black dogs and night fevers achieve a natural-born boogie’. (Q Magazine ****)

Footnote: with his Polymer Sounds label, Auerbach is also responsible for another superb CD that regularly resounds in our office: ‘With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt’ by chanteuse Jessica Lea Mayfield, live in the ABClub on Saturday 4 April (together with Elvis Perkins in Dearland and Krakow).

‘A Virtual Landslide’, that's the title of the fine CD from folk and blues singer-songwriter Pete Molinari. This Brit of Maltese and Egyptian origin was discovered by Billy Childish, and in the charming Toe Rag Studio producer Liam Watson (White Stripes, Holly Golightly) sublimely immortalised his bitter-sweet voice and uncomplicated songs. ‘A Virtual Landslide’ was undoubtedly our favorite Sunday-morning album of the past few months, and clearly also that of the press: ending 18th in Mojo’s Best Albums of 2008. Or also ‘The soul of American music distilled into the voice of a Cuban-heeled greaser from the Medway Delta’ according to The Guardian. Time Out spoke of ‘Young, finger-picking, country-blues marvel Molinari has a thrillingly ambiguous voice’ and NME capitalised: ‘Sweet-voiced blues-folk’. Hank Williams, Gram Parsons and Bob Dylan are never far away.

DAN AUERBACH ‘Trouble Weighs A Ton’

PETE MOLINARI ‘Sweet Louise’