25 Records of Christmas, Day 13: Alabama Shakes

This had to be a record year for new artists. I found so much great music this year, and was even more surprised that most of them hadn’t released anything yet. Alabama Shakes is a southern blues-tinged band from Athens, Alabama (go figure). They’ve had some immense success in just a short amount of time with their debut album, Boys and Girls. It’s a record about love and loss, and the home-spun blues sound is just one of the many great things happening here.

There’s something about lead singer Brittany Howard’s deep soul voice that draws you in right from the start of “Hold On”. It’s a quite laid back song, but one of the features that keeps me coming back to the band is the emotion behind it. When it comes to the blues, there’s not much new that anyone can do musically. But that’s brought on a whole new cast of artists with talent in their vocals, and Howard’s voice is a primary element to the Alabama Shakes. 

Originally called The Shakes, the band wanted be set apart from others.

The other elements to the band include driving guitars with melodies that will get stuck in your head for days. “I Found You” is a particular one, and transitions nicely into the piano/rock flavor of “Hang Loose”. Similar to JD McPherson, the songs remind me of how simple guitar, bass, drums and vocal can work to create something so good. They haven’t reinvented the wheel when it comes to blues, but they’ve simply taken what they know and love, and made it their own. “You Ain’t Alone” gives listeners a chance to hear Howard’s heart over delicate piano before her cries rip into your soul. 

I got to meet the band a couple of months ago, and they performed a few songs along with giving an interview about the record and the way they got signed to ATO Records. Howard spoke for most of the interview, explaining that they had a lot of offers, but decided on ATO because of their partnership with wanting to keep the blues sound in tact. This gave me a lot of respect for the band and made me appreciate them even more. There’s enough blues and rock on Boys and Girls to last a long time. By the time “On Your Way” finishes with its last guitar solo, you’ll be wishing for more of the Alabama Shakes.