Alabama Shakes
Sound & Color

THE REVIEW

The Alabama Shakes debuted in 2012 with an amazing album, Boys & Girls, (great review here) an album filled with rhythm and blues and soul, with singer Brittany Howard as the real standout presence of the bearded group from Athens. Great sales and No. 6 in the USA, with “Hold on” keeping me company constantly for a long time.

Following this stellar debut, they contributed to some soundtracks like “12 Years a Slave” by Steve McQueen, "Dallas Buyers Club" by Jean-Marc Vallée and "Silver Linings Playbook" by David O. Russell. In 2013, they participated in the Musicare tribute to Bruce Springsteen by covering “Adam Raised a Cain”… and … Bang! Like a punch in the stomach and a caress on the cheek simultaneously, Brittany proves herself to be a guitarist and singer with an unrivaled voice. She manages the challenging task of outshining the original, and that’s saying a lot coming from me. Comparing her to the greats of the past - Janis Joplin first and foremost - comes naturally… Damn, she knows what she’s doing!

But what about this new album, how is it? Are you going to talk about it or not? Yes, yes, Sound & Color is good, in some ways even better than the debut. However… There were no fillers in the previous one, but here there are.

Listen for example to Sound & Color, it starts with an ethereal keyboard, which lasts a moment before you think “du maron” then the voice kicks in, partially resolving the track. “Don’t wanna fight” seems written by the Black Keys in their best times or by Prince, Temptations, Funkadelic, and who knows who else. It has a precisely funky bass that creates an irresistible amalgamation with Brittany’s falsetto, which reaches impossible heights. It immediately makes you want to move, tap your foot, sing ... better not to sing, I could never do it (sigh).

The Alabama Shakes have taken a step forward in creativity, they begin to explore new soundscapes (for them) with courage and class. Overall, the album is in some ways still immature, there are tracks with extremely high peaks tinged with psychedelia, for example Gemini over six minutes long, and some missteps here and there.

Gimme all your love is definitely the track that best represents the entire album, an intense R&B, with changes in rhythm, soulful keyboards, and the band playing perfectly.

The fact that from 2015 to today they haven't released a follow-up yet means they are at a crossroads, that it's just a little longer (I hope) before a true masterpiece comes out. Here they almost touched it, but ... to drown is sweet to me in this sea