Hanni El Khatib “Head in the Dirt” 2013. Innovative Leisure Records. Garagey punk blues produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach who “didn’t scrub all of the dirt and grime” off of HEK’s second album release (his debut Will the Guns Come Out is grittier). The track “Save Me” has been on heavy rotation lately – I love its Bo Diddley beat and Rolling Stone-esque maracas – so I wanted to give the entire album another full and concentrated listen. HEK adds a heavy dose of funk into “Head in the Dirt” while “Family” is a lo-fi stomper, as is “Pay No Mind.” “Nobody Move” has a full-throttled rock-n-roll intro/chorus/hook while the verse is bouncing reggae. And it totally works. “Can’t Win ‘Em All” has a kicked-back groove and “Low” has a similar vibe but a bit more sinister. The only song on the album I’m not crazy about “Penny,” it’s a bit too bright, bouncing popily along with horns and effects that sound like an annoying guy whistling.

We saw Hanni El Khatib about four years ago when he played Milwaukee’s Turner Hall, in between the releases of Head in the Dirt and 2015′s Moonlight. I think it was a mid-week show and attendance was pretty sad, which is a bummer because HEK is a brilliant musician and performer.