Bold and diverse, this second album from Brittany Howard’s quartet is hard evidence that there’s more to Alabama Shakes than just their commanding frontwoman. The controlled performances of bassist Zac Cockrell, drummer Steve Johnson and guitarist Heath Fogg are key to the dynamic contrasts on which Sound & Color is forged.
Nevertheless, Howard can deliver a full-throated roar while sounding like she’s still chewing grits, and this is the band’s distinguishing feature. Her elastic range fronts the funky-grind meets roots-rock of ‘Don’t Wanna Fight’, infusing what could be a glossy pop hook with Delta grit, a little like Prince being sandpapered.
The many textures of ‘Sound & Color’ include epic, and overt, takes on the classic soul ballad: ‘Gimme All Your Love’ veers from mountain-high organ swirls and guitar shrieks to river-deep diminuendo, giving Howard space to project her vocal range so forcefully they could rename the band Alaska Shakes; ‘Miss You’ is an Otis Redding-style tearjerker, as if ‘…Tenderness’ was given a wry lyrical overhaul and some overdriven fretwork fury; Marshall Stax, perhaps.
‘Dunes’, too, is deliciously slow and dirty, with an unhurried Howlin’ Wolfish guitar lick that raises hairs. The tune climaxes in ghostly chimes, courtesy of Blake Mills’ apposite production, skills that come to the fore on ‘Guess Who’, the album’s strangest and most charming track. Howard sounds like Curtis Mayfield put through a vintage ribbon mic, her “All I Really Want Is Peace Of Mind” refrain set to a brisk ska-swing backing straight out of Studio One, and punctuated by swooping strings. It’s beautifully contained, and contrasts with the subsequent punky surprise of ‘The Greatest’, an expansive sortie into territory currently helmed by Parquet Courts. Other highlights are equally standalone: ‘Shoegaze’ sounds like a languid Blondie; ‘Future People’ has a sticky, warped groove, a psych-funk slice of near ‘Riot’ era Sly Stone.
Sound & Color evokes variant inspirations even in its less effective moments, yet it is firmly a product of the band’s home state and its surrounds, of the multiform sounds of a culture in which contemporary music was fermented. Alabama Shakes could once have been dismissed as a gutsy garage-soul act given points for authenticity, but they’ve evolved into exciting prospectors of the Deep South vibe, assembling a vibrant, humid celebration of American rock and soul.
Sound & Color (Rough Trade) is released on 20 April and is currently streaming on NPR. The band will headline The Great Escape in Brighton and are also set to play:
Wednesday May 13 - Birmingham O2 Academy
Friday May 15 - Brighton The Dome
Saturday 16 - Manchester O2 Apollo
Monday 18 - London O2 Brixton Academy
Check out details for tickets here.
by Nick Mee
Tags: Alabama Shakes
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color
'A vibrant, humid celebration of American rock and soul'
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