ALABAMA SHAKES 

Boys & Girls

[ATO]

Alabama Shakes plays in a pocket deep enough to lose your keys in. It’s like a protective bubble for the quintet, which has managed to ignore inflated industry expectations to record this fierce, compelling debut LP. Although the band insists it’s not a retro-soul act, Boys & Girls is drenched in guitar, organ, round bass and edge-of-the-beat drums. What truly elevates Alabama Shakes, though, is Brittany Howard’s voice. She sings with uncommon fire, sometimes with quiet, slow-burning passion and sometimes in an intense burst of emotion. Her voice pulls the instruments into a tight orbit on “Hold On,” stopping and starting with taut precision, while opener “Be Mine” builds from tough self-possession to a scorching finale as Howard loses herself in pounding drums and ringing guitars. She demonstrates impeccable instincts as a performer throughout—and she’s blessed with a band that more than keeps up with her the whole way through.  –Eric R. Danton

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