Alabama Shakes Sound And Color on Colored Vinyl 2LP + Download
Sophomore LP From Alabama Shakes Is Breakout Effort of 2015: Brittany Howard and Co. Transcend Revivalist Soul Label With Powerhouse Record Steeped in Rock, Blues, and Psychedelia
Critically Acclaimed Quartet's Songs Rich in Texture, Nuance, Atmosphere, and Mood: Hear Aptly Titled Sound & Color on Vinyl LP for Richest Listening Experience
Resisting any notion of a sophomore slump, and putting to bed the "revivalist soul" label, Alabama Shakes return with a humdinger. Replete with moody vibes, intricate textures, atmospheric grooves, and confident playing, Sound & Color encompasses blues, psychedelia, R&B, and garage rock while ceding the floor to powerhouse singer Brittany Howard. To say the band has arrived would be a colossal understatement.
"We took our time to write this record, and I'm really glad we did," explains Howard. "This record is full of genre-bending songs - it's even harder now when people ask, ‘What kind of band are you?' I have no clue."
With Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes prove that the response to Boys & Girls was no fluke. Expanding on the soulful blues-rock base that made their name, they defy predictable expectations and map an exciting, surprising, and innovative new direction. The album's twelve songs reveal a band honed by years on the road, and drawing from a wide range of influences. "These songs are not simple," says Howard. "They're intricate, like a spider web or a tapestry. Our drummer, Steve, has put in a lot of work, gotten so much better - we all have."
Indeed, press surrounding the quartet's first shows from the tour
(staged more than a month before the record's release) has taken note of
the phenomenal creative growth and evolution. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed:
"Energetic front woman/guitarist Brittany Howard remains Alabama
Shakes' guiding force. A lightning bolt of a singer that can move from
whisper-quiet delicacy to rafter-rattling belting within one line, she
conveyed a broader scope of emotion and more formidable vocal range than
in years past."
"Everybody has really advanced on their instruments," says guitarist
Heath Fogg. "Brittany's vocals have gotten so much stronger, she's able
to do more things than she even knew she could." "I feel like I'm
capable of anything," the singer responds. "It took a lot of patience to
make this record, and to communicate so well with each other. I know
now we're the kind of band that can do that."
Alabama Shakes Sound And Color Track Listing:
1. Sound & Color
2. Don't Wanna Fight
3. Dunes
4. Future People
5. Gimme All Your Love
6. This Feeling
7. Guess Who
8. The Greatest
9. Shoegaze
10. Miss You
11. Gemini
12. Over My Head
2. Don't Wanna Fight
3. Dunes
4. Future People
5. Gimme All Your Love
6. This Feeling
7. Guess Who
8. The Greatest
9. Shoegaze
10. Miss You
11. Gemini
12. Over My Head