On his second solo album, Black Keys bandleader Dan Auerbach has attempted a case study in Nashville soft rock and, as far as this kind of genre exercise goes, ‘Waiting on a Song’ is excellent. But there's trouble afoot.
You see, while Auerbach the Grammy-winning producer has expertly demonstrated the craft of retro music making, Auerbach the musician has made a potentially diabolical pact.
Music seemingly written by committee to be hyper accessible sounds decisively middle of the road and, furthermore, such music often requires otherworldly charisma on the part of the performer to elevate it into a position of even moderate cultural relevance.
After all, why would one be motivated to listen to Auerbach’s Instagram filter version of classic rock when you can just as easily stream Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ or the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’? In that regard, ‘Waiting on a Song’ operates most effectively as an advert for Auerbach’s studio and production expertise.
There are some very good cuts. Shine on Me and the title track are both fun, pleasant summer tracks while songs like King of the One Horse Town, Malibu Man and Livin’ in Sin are awash with well handled vintage motifs: Philly strings, boxy snare production and Nashville horns. It's an album that leans into its phoniness, and delights in the conveyer-belt that brought it to you.
But, ultimately, the X factor of a Jack White, Stevie Nicks or Father John Misty is probably the thing missing here; that God-given charisma of a true superstar. Auerbach has released an album that successfully owns its own derivativeness, but there is a limit to just how interesting that can be.
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