Vibes, man. If
there's one thing the Alabama Shakes sophomore album, Sound & Color, has in spades, it's vibes.
The vibes is the
first instrument listeners hear on opener "Sound & Color," as
Brittany Howard and company conjure up nighttime sonicscapes and images with
minimal instrumentation, making use of strings and almost no guitars to build
the scene. It's a thesis statement for the album as a whole, and shows the
group isn't ready to fit into any one particular genre.
Sound & Color's
vibe is a bit moody, and a little all over the place – the group ignores the
idea of creating a cohesive collection, and instead samples a menagerie of
styles: from Stax soul to Zeppelin-rock, Ramones punk and back again, there is
little in the way of common denominators throughout, save for Howard's wrecking
ball of a voice, which can be as silky or knock-the-walls-down as she wants.
Take the little
exaltation Howard makes at the beginning of first single, "Don't Wanna
Fight" – I mean, what is that? A shriek? A scream? A squeal? I have no
idea what it is, or how she does it, but it's a moment capable of flooring you,
and it happens just 38 seconds in to the song.
There's nothing as
radio-friendly as their breakout hit "Hold On," and I think it's
encouraging the Shakes seemed to have jettisoned any interest in becoming a
radio mainstay, and instead are content being discontent with one vibe.
Nodding to early
soul and R&B has been a part of the group's sound – and appeal – since
their first EP, but this album feels older than anything they've done before. I
think it's the focus on, and fluidity of, mood on Sound & Color. There are no wailing guitar solos – rather
stretches of experimentation, like the mid-song breakdown on "Dunes,"
which wouldn't be out of place on a Wilco record. Or check out "Gimme All
Your Love," which features some of Howard's most powerful vocals on the
album, with a "Since I've Been Loving You" momentum-builder, sans any
kind of typical rock or blues solo. When it comes, it's heavy on the reverb,
almost like a Black Keys lick, before slamming back into Howard's wail. Again,
the song has its own vibe and stays true to that.
I think my
favorite Alabama Shakes is torch song Alabama Shakes, and we get a delightful
one-two punch of them with "This Feeling" and "Guess Who."
At this point, it's entirely possible "This Feeling" is the best song
on the album, if for no other reason because it goes down so goddamn sweetly.
It's just an acoustic guitar, hand drumming, tinkling keys and Howard's voice
doing the rest.
The biggest
outlier is "The Greatest," which, if nothing else, shows Howard would
make a great singer for a punk band any time she wants. It's a little out of
step with the rest of the pieces here, but I can't fault the Shakes too much,
because they're experimenting – they're trying to find out what elements of a
plethora of genres they can use, and I'm fine with that.
I can't really
say I love Sound & Color yet, but
I wouldn't be surprised if I do before long. It's not an instant classic, one
that you immediately hit replay on when the final track ends, but it has the
growth appeal. I've found myself listening to it at least once a day, and I'm
picking up new things with each new listen. The Alabama Shakes are in a truly
interesting position right now – they achieved a tremendous amount of success
off their first effort, and now they have to figure out what that means, and
where to go next. They're dabbling with sounds and colors on the album, but
even the experiments show promise of greater things to come. As Howard
(correctly) notes on closer "Over My Head," "here for now/but not
for long."
Until then, they
(and I) are happy to just keep vibing.
Sound & Color is
out on ATO.
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