My old man has a theory that wild, overgrown beards indicate a man is hiding from something. Their beards scream "I'm escaping reality and essentially running away from the norms of society". I struggle with accepting this theory. Especially when I see him with a bushy beard of his own circa 1971...

But is my father actually onto something here? Does a wooly face inadvertantly indicate someone is running away? When Dan Auerbach created his recent solo offering, he was running away from his succesful two-piece The Black Keys. Bon Iver, when recording Blood Bank, was running away from lost love and heartache. And then there's Seasick Steve who is essentially fleeing obscurity and hurdling into the limelight. Contributor Nick Maher takes a closer look at these beardy offerings.

Dan Auerbach

Where The Black Keys are recognised by their simplicity and power, Dan Auerbach's solo effort Keep It Hid, is dynamic and deliberate.

There are many instruments utilised on this album: electric, acoustic and electronic. The farty bass guitar (or is that a synth?) is certaily one of our man Dan's favourites and one he doesnt get to bust out on stage with The Black Keys.

Many styles and schools of US songwriting have been brought together and brought up to date on this release. While never being at all mind-blowing this is a very interesting album. It sounds American. Real American. Is that an adjective?

Bon Iver

Bon Iver's sound is defined by solitude. Maybe thats because we all read the press release from his debut For Emma, Forever Ago which states how the whole album was written in a cabin in the woods after a heartbreak of some sort. But I'll be damned if solitude isn't what the music sounds like.

The simple yet lush instrumentation and layered vocals of Justin Vernon can be heard on his latest EP in refrain. Blood Bank sounds indeed like an extension of his first release. Once again, the songs are strikingly and often intensely beautiful. Dark, sweet drawings of love and loss. More of the same. But the same is amazing.

Seasick Steve

I don't know if he is a hobo, was a hobo or is pretending to be a hobo but Seasick Steve is certainly a good story teller and he's opened his own door to the wider world.A man who has taken 60 odd years to reach the international music stage has stepped up and brought his train-jumpin tales with him.

I'm not too used to listening to modern blues music and it took me a couple of go's to forgive the nonvintage vocals on his recent release I Started Out With Nothin' and I Still Got Most of it Left. But by the end all was forgiven.

Seasick Steve is not only a storyteller but a translator. He is explaining the blues as it is today, and white-boy blues more specifically to a broader audience which includes you and I. Thanks, Steve. Good modern blues record. And fun ... if the blues can be desribed as such.