A brief note to the editor: Brittany, meet Brittany. Singer Brittany Howard and her band, the Athens, Alabama-based Alabama Shakes, haven’t appeared on this blog before, and if they’ve escaped your radar up till now, allow me to introduce you (without hyperbole) to your new favorite singer/band. I know you’re a sucker for strong, bluesy lead female vocalists, and they don’t come much more any of those than her; she’s the total package.
Already darling(s) in the eyes of Adele, Jack White, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, and a host of other musicians and music journalists -- NPR music had nothing but great things to say after their SXSW set last week -- Howard and the up-and-coming Shakes are, ironically, on a roll. The group’s super-tight live performances and solid, if not wholly unique, brand of classic Southern rock have arrived at a time when more and more American and international listeners are gobbling up roots-inspired music (Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, First Aid Kit, Conor Oberst, etc.) like hot johnnycakes of sound. Add to that the fact that Howard sounds like Robert Plant and Janis Joplin made a voice-baby, and the Shakes are about as hot as the unseasonably balmy spring the U.S. appears to be having. [Editor's Note: Chicago is confirmed as such.]
On its own, this scintillating performance of the love/lust/companionship ballad "You Ain’t Alone" oozes cool, yet ecstatic sentiment -- the visible beads of sweat might as well be liquid blues -- but give at least some credit to the filmmaker/editor here, who may or may not be the credited NowWaveManchester. Don’t get me wrong: firsthand, the set at Stubb’s in Austin, TX must’ve been other-worldly, but the fact that there’s a clear, compelling re-creation of the experience available for free online shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Who knows the specific circumstances and methods employed to film and create this stellar video, but I’m guessing it wasn’t example of the developing live show epidemic whereby listeners stick smart phones in the air to record as much of the concert as possible. I suppose bootleggers have been doing it in movie theaters for decades, but at least they’re discreet. These modern descendants have no shame – it used to be that people would periodically raise their phone for a snapshot. Now it seems everyone is shamelessly striving to become the next famous YouTube director. Do they give Oscars for that now?
Filmed or not, Howard & co. kill it on this track. I know, it takes some time to build, but boy, once you hit about 3:40, they’re going at it hot and heavy -- yes, those are your knees quivering. Howard, at one point, displays the outline of her beloved state of Alabama tattooed on her shoulder ("my heart on my sleeve"), but that’s nothing; she’s radiating some deep-seated emotions head to toe. And somehow, you get the feeling with this young a group, we in the audience have only heard the tip of the iceberg.
[Editor's Note: I watched the video and wrote the intro to this post before reading JBH's cute little opener about this being my new favorite band. He's got me pegged.]
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