Alabama Shakes: Sound & Color (8.5/10)2015 has been a pretty crazy year, and perhaps the biggest surprise musically of this year was this album. Alabama Shakes were not a terrible band, but their debut provided, to me, lackluster soul-rock tunes that were ultimately pretty forgettable. Obviously Hold On was a great single, but it still lacks anything that makes it its own separate thing. It sounds pretty ripped off from a lot of other soul rock bands, and it overall is not very strong in character. It just sounds pretty overly generic, and plain. This issue was the plague of this band's entire first effort, Boys & Girls, for me. However, this go around was a complete 180 for me. The band sounds more mature, powerful, and charismatic on this new record. Lead singer Brittany Howard sings her heart out over sometimes very sexy, mysterious instrumentation. The guitar riffs are tasty, the choruses are often catchy, and almost all the songs strike a chord with you. Unlike the first record, this record doesn't beg you to listen to it, but instead it forcefully shoves its powerful attitude into your ears.
The title track kicks this thing off with a mysterious vibe to it. Vibraphone and cymbals colors help intensify the very suave feel of the song. Howard's vocals also are more loose in this song where as most other songs on here are more controlled. The song feels really good, and is probably one of the most creative things this band has done to date. Don't Wanna Fight is not one of the strongest tunes on here, but it still drags you in with a catchy hook, and a very passionate vocal performance by Howard. Even the weaker moments on here can be salvaged by Howard sometimes. Dunes and This Feeling are both more reserved tracks that are very charming. These tracks are not overly complicated, but they are still very pretty and real sounding at times. Dunes is a nice little break after the catchy Don't Wanna Fight, and after the punchy-funk tune Future People, and the bombastic rock tune Give Me All Your Love, This Feeling is beautiful. This feeling is pretty much just accoustic guitar, piano, vocals, and small taps on the guitar for percussion, and it possible draws you in more than any of the more extensive instrumental tracks on here. The tune is very calming, and I really feel like I got to know a piece of Howard after listening to it. Also the guitar part is really simple, but gets its job done. This track is so simple, but it doesn't bore me in the slightest. Guess Who is a muffled vocal over jazz lounge guitar and glitchy drums. It sounds weird, but actually translates pretty well. This one is also pretty stripped back. Shoegaze is probably the most generic tune on here, but it is by no means bad. It feels kind of insignificant next to Miss You. Miss You and Give Me All Your Love are absolutely gigantic tunes that see Howard shouting her lungs out, and it is really triumphant. Give Me All Your Love feels so emotive and sad, but Howard spins this song in a way where it feels like she is in control and I really appreciate this. Miss You is a bluesy tune that feels familiar, but nonetheless powerful, and you cannot help but to jam out to it. The two last songs are actually pretty forgettable to me though. Gemini and Over My Head are pretty similar to the title track, but these tracks drag on too long, and they lack the personality and timbres of the exciting opening track. Another complaint about this album would be that sometimes the band does not allow these instrumentals enough room to breath. Everything still feels kind of compressed and cut down, when I think this sound could be bigger and better. Also the best tracks on here are significantly better than the worst. I feel like this record was so close to being consistent straight through, but some hiccups towards the end really hurt it. Knowing that Alabama Shakes are improving thus far, I would not bet against them making a truly great album someday, but for now this will more than suffice.
Pick this thing up if you are a fan of soul-rock with jazz/garage/funk influences. That's pretty broad, but Alabama Shakes find a way to pack a lot of cool sounds onto this LP. Overall I am pretty proud of the progress this band has made, but if they cut down on the lackluster, spacy tracks and the mandatory mainstream hit tracks, then they could have a serious AOTY contender on their hands. This thing is more than impressive, but you still can't help but feel like it could have been that much better. Still, I am pleased with this album, and if you wanna give this thing I chance, I'd highly recommend it.
Best Songs: Sound & Color, Dunes, Future People, Give Me All Your Love, This Feeling, Miss You
Worst Songs: Don't Wanna Fight, The Greatest, Gemini, Over My Head
No comments:
Post a Comment