Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color [album review]

Published: April 15, 2015

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Let’s face it. Brittany Howard is a once-in-a-generation talent. Her voice can bring you to your knees one minute and have you charging into battle the next. And while she may be the star, the fact that she was able to link up with three other amazing musicians at such a tender age is fortuitous, to say the least. Bassist Zac Cockrell and drummer Steve Johnson are the backbone of the band. Their playing is absolutely out of this world on Sound & Color. Howard and fellow guitarist Heath Fogg can kick out riffs in their sleep, and the solos are dripping with tones.

From the minute I heard their EP, I knew stardom was on the horizon. Needless to say, I wasn’t alone in my assessment. At our session in 2011, I was chatting with Johnson’s drummer about their ascension. Mr. Johnson commented that the band was starting to get a little overwhelmed by all that was happening and I immediately responded that they better get ready for a crazy ride. And it seems they were. Through a combo of each other, good management and family; the band made it through the craziness in tact and ready for the dreaded sophomore album.

With Howard’s vocal chops, they could have easily just redid Boys & Girls and people would have went apeshit for it. To say Sound & Color is the antithesis of a mailed-in effort is an understatement. Along with producer, Blake Mills, the band dug deep into their influences and pushed themselves to another level. That isn’t to say, the band forgot their roots. That’s clearly evident on lead single, Don’t Want To Fight. The track opens with a nasty riff from Fogg before Cockrell & Johnson kick in a meaty backbeat. At 40 seconds, Howard lets out a squeal that feels like she’s been keeping it bottled up for 5 years. At that point, you know shit’s going to get real on this album.

Give Me All Your Love is the musical equivalent of a sexual encounter. It starts all hot and heavy before easing into a period of foreplay with ups and downs. At about 2:15, the songs stops as Fogg gently strums a few quiet chords. I call this The Vinegar Strokes in homage to The League. Then Cockrell & Johnson take shit over and they deliver a climax worthy of your greatest sexual conquest. Fogg’s solo is thick and meaty like a porterhouse. My only complaint is one that I hear all too often, it ended too abruptly and it didn’t last long enough.

Towards the end of the album, Miss You, does what I can only describe as her best Otis Redding. It slow, sultry and sexy until Howard lets loose. As the band heats up, you can almost picture holding up the fist to have the band stop on a dime, only to rev it back up again. Towards the end, as she howls repeatedly, “I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours,” one can’t help but picture her hunched over screaming into microphone, sweat and spit flying; like it was meant to be.

Alabama Shakes had a lot to live up with this album. They pushed and challenged themselves to a reach higher level. While Sound & Color might not have a single like Hold On to dominate the radio but overall it is a much stronger better album – better songs, better production, better playing, better everything. This album kicks ass.

Follow me on Twitter at @WoodyHearYa

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