In 2012, Dr. John released "Locked Down", a collaboration with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, who produced the record and played guitar on it. The album received very positive reviews for its raw, Afrobeat-influenced sound. The "Los Angeles Times" said that it showed Dr. John "exiting a period of relative creative stagnation by creating something magical, the embodiment of everything he's done but pushed in a clear new direction". It won a Grammy Award, as did Auerbach for producing it.