When Alabama Shakes made their incendiary arrival with 2012’s ‘Boys & Ladies’, Brittany Howard’s voice was shortly anointed as a head-turner. Breakout single ‘Maintain On’ – which landed them a Grammy nom for Greatest New Artist – noticed Howard’s voice slide between a mild purr to a tortured howl; her authenticity as an performer or songwriter may by no means be questioned – how else to conjure such uncooked emotion and magic?
A decade on, Howard’s repute will solely have strengthened. When Alabama Shakes went on hiatus in 2018 – two years after their critically acclaimed second album ‘Sound & Shade’ – Howard targeted on her solo profession. 2019’s ‘Jaime’ was devoted to her late sister of the identical identify, who died as a teen. Whereas she pushed into new areas – spoken-word, cosmic-jazz and heavy-rock on ‘thirteenth Century Steel’ alone – it was the bluesy-rock method on ‘Keep Excessive’ that grounded her songs and objective.
Thrillingly, her second solo report ‘What Now’ embraces any and all sonic prospects and challenges with glee. It’s the kind of intent that’s been simmering in Howard’s work beforehand and now steps into area with confidence to be heard: every part from psych-jazz, electro-funk, soulful home and the occasional rocker will get a glance in right here. In lesser fingers it’s a proper outdated mess, however not in Howard’s.
‘One other Day’ and ‘Show It To You’ stand above the remainder of the fabric. On the previous, Howard beams over a skittering late-night beat that she’s “having the time of my life”, whereas ‘Show It To You’ heartily embraces a four-to-the-floor beat and Howard’s pop songwriting chops. The title observe, a fuzzed-up relative of Alabama Shakes’ ‘Don’t Wanna Combat’, is equally effusive, as is the funk-rock fusion of ’Energy To Undo’’s refrain.
All of it works due to Howard’s conviction in her vocal capabilities; significantly, she may learn the phonebook on the finish of this album and hold you hanging on. On slow-burning opener ‘Earth Signal’, Howard sings of a brand new alternative as this album rises into view, just like the moon’s crescent on a transparent blue sky: “I’ve been planning that don’t embrace you anymore / My coronary heart desires to remain however I don’t know what for”.
‘What Now’ is knowledgeable by emotional malaise and confusion, but when anybody has the solutions on methods to navigate our personal journeys, you’d do effectively to show to Howard.
Particulars
- Launch date: February 9, 2024
- File label: Island
