Album Review: Brittany Howard – Jaime

Brittany Howard charmed listeners fronting the always delightful Alabama Shakes. Despite the accolades that have been heaped on that band, Howard has paused the project to drop an instantly classic solo album which, coming straight from the heart, just aches with emotion.

Jaime, named after her sister who passed away at the age of 13, is a funk album dripping with soul, building on the legacy of Howard's legendary musical heroes. Lyrically, the album is a raw and brutal exposition of everything that Howard holds close to her heart. It’s a collision of songs about feminism, family, sexuality, spirituality and racism. Ultimately it's love and forgiveness that holds so much of this album together. The beating heart is the preachy consciousness of 13th Century Metal, where a fevered Howard spells her reality out to us like Martin Luther King Jr delivering a speech to thousands. 

Howard isn’t vulnerable for wearing her heart on her sleeve here – rather it’s through her courage and strength of conviction that she creates a space for her listeners to find solidarity with each other, all while getting down to a funky groove.