John Anderson Has a Dan Auerbach-Produced Album on the Way

John Anderson is working on a new album, and producer Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys) will be at the helm of the project. Anderson recently released a two-disc, 40-track album called 40 Years and Still Swingin', and it was Auerbach who reached out to the country star with the idea to get to work on a brand-new project.

“I called him out of the blue,” Auerbach tells the Tennessean. “... I got his number and gave him a call, and we just went from there. We started to get together, and I brought a bunch of people he had known for years but some of them he hadn’t seen in 30 years."

Anderson says that he knew he liked Auerbach as soon as they started songwriting together. Auerbach, meanwhile, says the project has been a once-in-a-lifetime event.

“There’s no blueprint, you kind of have to go with the flow,” Auerbach explains, describing Anderson singing along with three guitars, three keyboards and drummers during the process. “It was really magical. It was just unfolding in front of our eyes. I’m having the time of my life.”

“A lot of the magic is his,” Anderson adds, explaining that Auerbach reached out to tap some of Anderson's old (and new) friends to help out with the album, including songwriter Joe Allen. "He’s like a big brother and he’s a great, great country music writer. We ended up writing a good song. Any time that it’s that easy and we’re all that happy about it, indeed it’s an indication and it’s meant to be.”

Anderson says that making a new album isn't hard, but making a fresh sound is, and Auerbach helped accomplish that. No release date has yet been set for the project.

In other aspects of their careers, Anderson is busy on tour with Blake Shelton. Auerbach is in the studio with the Black Keys these days, in addition to the long list of his other projects as a producer.