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Jun 02, 2017 Web Exclusive By Nate Rogers

Blues obsession notwithstanding, Dan Auerbach has always been a pop songwriter. For every Skip James trick featured in the Black Keys songbook, there have been five more courtesy of Roy Orbison or Ray Davies (see: the cover of The Kinks’ “Act Nice and Gentle” on Rubber Factory). So it made sense-and was actually a damn good idea, in fact-for Auerbach to embrace the pop factor on Waiting on a Song, which is technically his second solo album (following the surprisingly durable Keep It Hid from 2009), but unlike anything he’s made before.

Ornate and sunny, the album is a love letter to ‘60s R&B and ‘70s soft rock, with lushly arranged strings peppering the songs, none of which are longer than four minutes-and, truthfully, none of which would sound out of place in an Urban Outfitters following a Leon Bridges power hour. Unpredictably, folk legend John Prine contributes to some of the songwriting here (notably the album’s stellar title track), and at one point Mark Knopfler shows up to play guitar (on the borderline-corny sing-along “Shine on Me”), but this is still Auerbach’s project through and through, which means that there are hooks flying left and right-and more frequently than not they land, too. Tracks like “King of a One Horse Town” and “Undertow” are irresistible-pure pop comfort food-but once the bubble bursts, you wish there was more to chew on. (www.facebook.com/danauerbachmusic)

Author rating: 6.5/10