Pullin’ ‘Tubes | Valerie June Can’t Be Told

Dan Auerbach’s name has been in the news a lot recently, almost exclusively for things unrelated to his music career. First, his name was dragged through the mud during the Jack White and Karen Elson’s child custody dispute, and more recently it had to do with his own divorce and oddness of the fact that his ex-wife was awarded Bob Dylan’s hair in the settlement. We’ll leave all that kind of stuff for the folks at TMZ to dissect; it’s what The Black Keys guitarist has doing in the recording studio that is of interest to us.

Over the last couple of years Auerbach has become an in-demand producer stepping behind the boards to work with the likes of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, JEFF The Brotherhood, Michael Kiwanuka and Dr. John. This year Auerbach has continued to build on his recent success, first with the critically-lauded album from Tuaregian guitarist Bombino, and more recently with singer-songwriter Valerie June.

Based in Memphis, TN, the striking June, who boasts a bountiful head of well-coiffed dreadlocks, is the latest in the line to benefit from Auerbach’s magic touch. Ms. June’s full-length debut, Pushin’ Against The Stone, which was released in mid-August, is a master class in crafting a modern Americana record for the NPR set. The 11-track effort deftly mixes the diverse sounds of Appalachian folk, traditional gospel, Motown soul and Delta Blues with dashes of dirty, vintage garage-rock fuzz tones sprinkled throughout.

Let’s check out the music video for the album’s burner of a lead single -“You Can’t Be Told”:

Valerie June is in the midst of a world tour, which brings her back stateside on September 20 for a gig at the Bootleg Bar in Los Angeles.

Written By: Jeffrey Greenblatt