Dan Auerbach performed three songs off his Nonesuch solo debut, Keep It Hid—"Trouble Weighs a Ton," "When the Night Comes," and "Goin' Home"—in his appearance on today's episode of NPR's World Café. He also spoke with the show's host, David Dye, about the new record, on which, says Dye, Dan has "expanded stylistically ... its songs conceal a melancholy and introspective side ... Driven by reverb and riffs, Auerbach's solo work sounds authentic, blunt and powerful." In other news, Justin Timberlake has made it known he's a fan of The Black Keys. "I really love their Attack and Release," he says. "I thought that was a really great record."

Dan Auerbach "broadens his style" on Keep It Hid, says NPR's Fresh Air, "to include folk, country and even psychedelic elements." Rock critic Ken Tucker says that, while the solo disc offers Auerbach space to change things up from the full-throttle sound of The Black Keys—the album being "all about creating intimacy"—that's not to say Dan has shied away from his blues-rock roots. Even so, Tucker says it's easy "to appreciate the floating, airy atmosphere of Keep It Hid." Rolling Stone's Smoking Section calls the album "unbelievably awesome ... We can’t stop playing it, top to bottom."

Dan Auerbach, fresh off his two-week tour with Hacienda and Those Darlins, helped kick off Austin's South by Southwest Music Conference last night with an opening-night set at The Parish. The first reports are in, and the show seems to be the hit of a typically jam-packed SxSW night. MTV includes the "raw and rumbling set" among the night's highlights, and JamBase says, "The top pick for the first night was undoubtedly Dan Auerbach ... [I]t took all of one song to realize this was something special." The Dallas Observer calls Dan's solo debut, Keep It Hid, "an intimate trek down gravel roads and back alleys to the crossroads of American music."

Dan Auerbach was the featured guest on yesterday's episode of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. Dan and band perform more than half the songs off his recent Nonesuch solo debut, Keep It Hid, live in the KCRW studios. At the end of the set, the show's host, Jason Bentley, sighs, "Man, you got some soul, brother." His favorite album tracks, he says, "really caught my attention as just soulful blues-rock of the highest order."

Dan Auerbach brings the music from Keep It Hid, his recently released sol debut, back home to Ohio tonight for a concert at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland with Hacienda and Those Darlins. The Boston Globe reports from Sunday's show that "the sold-out crowd certainly got what it came to hear: 90 minutes of blissfully loud, fiercely focused rock 'n' roll with heart and soul." Dan's "guitar solos were compact, penetrating bursts of roughed-up chords that chopped predictable blues-rock cliches to ribbons. And while easy to overlook, [his] voice proved an invaluable asset."

Dan Auerbach plays the second of two New York area shows tonight at the Bowery Ballroom in downtown Manhattan, with openers Hacienda, which will also form his backing band, and Those Darlins. They performed last night at the Williamsburg Hall of Music in Brooklyn and the night before at Boston's Paradise Club. There, the Boston Herald says, he took "the ragged, groovy, electrified vibe of a classic Fillmore set" and fit it "with a post-grunge, post-punk, post-Black Sabbath fury," to create "original, jagged, fire-spitting guitar workouts fit for today."

Dan Auerbach plays the first of two New York City shows tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, with openers (and backing band) Hacienda plus Those Darlins. They'll all head into Manhattan to play Bowery Ballroom Tuesday. Dan is featured in a profile in the New York Times that examines the influences behind his solo debut, Keep It Hid. American Songwriter says the album's stand-out tracks are those "that flirt with folk and emphasize Auerbach’s unique voice," declaring: "Auerbach’s first forays into folk are successful ones."

Dan Auerbach kicks off his two-week US tour with songs from his recently released solo debut, Keep It Hid, at Washington, DC's 9:30 Club Saturday night. The Washington Post says The Black Keys' "beyond-the-blues elements are explored much further on the terrific first solo album from the duo's singer-guitarist ... and the broader range reveals a major pop songwriter.” Metro UK gives the album four stars, stating: “Fans of his main concern will find plenty to enjoy; anyone else will simply hear an early contender for 2009's finest solo effort.”

Dan Auerbach's newly released solo record, Keep It Hid, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart, a list of the week's best-performing albums from new artists. The Independent gives it four stars, citing the album's "broad sweep of blues styles" and Dan's vocals, channeling "the haunted quality of an authentic soul singer." The Cleveland Plain Dealer gives an A- to the new record, which sees Dan "cutting loose with a marvelous solo debut ... Crank it up."

Dan Auerbach appeared on today's episode of NPR's newsmagazine Day to Day to discuss his new album, Keep It Hid, including the process of setting his father's lyrics to music, and the development of his singing voice. "The only thing I've ever tried to do is be myself," says Dan. "Never put on a voice, sing naturally. And that always seems to work best for me."

Keep It Hid, Dan Auerbach's recently released solo debut, earns applause from the San Francicso Chronicle. The Black Keys' singer/guitarist "digs into some serious psychedelia and soulful blues on his solo debut," says the Chronicle. "Auerbach has made a deeply personal piece that goes into dusty corners never explored by the Keys in the band's fine five albums ... [He] is a master at creating surprising, shadowy textures with reverb and repeated riffs."

Dan Auerbach will be the musical guest on tonight's Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Tune in to catch Dan perform a song off his solo debut album, Keep It Hid. The show airs on NBC starting at 12:35 AM ET. The Associated Press finds Keep It Hid "every bit as brainy, engaging and powerful as" Dan's work with The Black Keys and also sees him "stepping out, stretching a bit" on the new album. It's "full of tasty sounds," says the AP, and "shows an understanding of what really makes rock roll."