ALABAMA SHAKES's Southern-born blues is a refreshing arrival on the indie scene. Their contemporary re-imagining of a timeless genre follows in the groove of old Kings of Leon, with lead vocals resembling a female Louis Armstrong with some Ella Fitzgerald influence. Following the hype surrounding their appearance at SXSW, we will likely be hearing much more of them.
Frontwoman Brittany Howard cuts an unusual figure on stage and, with a thick head of curls and specs, she does not fit the cliché of a rock diva. Nonetheless, the howling belt that comes out of her seems so natural, primal even, that you soon realise she's a natural born rock star.
New video for 'Hold On' has just been released in anticipation of their album Boys And Girls which is due out April 10. We've been streaming the LP from NPR and every single song is consistently spine- tingling.
The Rolling Stone recording below was captured at Guitar Center, where the band play surrounded by acoustic guitars. Live, the Shakes's raw talent shines, proof that there are no auto-tuned or synthesised recording tricks employed to create that tight, pitch-perfect sound.
As Howard explains before their performance, 'I Ain't The Same' is about the loss of childhood innocence and naivety. Indeed, Alabama Shakes make indie rock that is bursting with soul, that is mature and refined, nothing childlike about it.
Words by Rebecca McCann
