#zac cockrell

[sinceileftyoublog]

Brittany Howard Album Review: What Now

(Island)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The title of Brittany Howard's second solo album is a question we've all likely asked, many times, perhaps to nobody in particular. It's evocative of a state of exasperation after, or perhaps even during, an overwhelming event, shared or personal. For Howard, she found herself asking, "What now?" a lot during the pandemic, a time period after which she had received heaps of critical acclaim for her debut album Jaime but also recently moved from New Mexico to Nashville after a divorce. As such, the songs on What Now are inspired by the desire to not simply live in the moment during chaos, but to make moments for herself. It starts with "Earth Sign", a song Howard wrote to manifest a partner. "Out there, there's a love waiting for me," she sings, her vocals layered, over piano, bowls, and Nate Smith's jazzy drum pitter-patter, sounding as far away as ever. As the song builds into a sort of stadium soul, upbeat and burbling, Howard ascends, shouting, "It's nearly there!" In real life, she did find love after writing the song, after all. And on the album, she similarly constructs a world for each song, ones that show how much she can soar when not beholden to a singular sound.

Co-produced with Shawn Everett and using all analog instrumentation, What Now nonetheless at times sounds otherworldly and cosmic, with instrumentation to match Howard's pained falsetto. She determinedly weaves through and along with the instrumentation, reaching out to grab whatever life has in store for her. On the title track, her vocals follow her buzz-saw riffs as she sings, "You're fucking up my energy / I told the truth, so set me free," channeling her passion into chugging funk and ready to take on whatever comes her way, continuing, "If you want someone to hate, blame it on me." Howard wished for "Red Flags", meanwhile, to purposefully sound cold, a foreboding warning to herself and her tendency to ignore the predictable nadirs of relationships. It succeeds greatly in intent of vibe, with Brad Allen Williams' off-kilter tremolo guitar chords flailing atop Smith's skittering drums. When Howard screams "Don't let it die" later in the song, you can hear her desperation, so badly wanting something bad to be good.

In fact, some of What Now's most successful songs come from Howard seemingly at war with herself. She slaps bass on "Patience" alongside former Alabama Shakes bandmate Zac Cockrell, creating a funk rhythm slow-burning enough to emulate her agonizing desire for a relationship to move faster. She repeats, "All we need is a little patience, girl," but the third time through, cuts off the statement, as if to make you wait for everything to come to fruition along with her. Even more stunning is jazz/hip-hop hybrid "Samson", a classic "Should I stay or should I go?" song that features a rolling drum beat and reflective-sounding trumpet from Rod McGaha. Towards the end of the song, Howard seems to be leaning towards leaving, heartbreakingly alone in the mix when she sings, "It's getting harder not to disappoint you." Her sentiment introduces an outro of meandering and circular trumpet and guitar, a sonic interpretation of her state of mind.

Howard may never stop wondering what's around the corner, but she knows better than to speculate. "I am having the time of my life," she sings on fried funk jam "Another Day". It's why much of What Now, even when subdued, sounds so immediate. Four-on-the-floor banger "Prove It To You", bolstered by an incredible band performance highlighted by Smith's propulsive beat and Lloyd Buchanan's stabbing keys, lays it all out at the club like Howard does in relationships: "I've never been any good at falling in love / I fall so hard I never get up," she sings. And on the surface, it may seem odd for What Now to close with the realist and depressive "Every Color In Blue", but Howard's inclusion of a song where the impending rain is "all out of rainbows" makes the moments when feelings are high all the more monumental. And when the songs ends, you want to press play on the album again, to experience her highs and lows with her for another round.

[thesinglesjukebox]

BRITTANY HOWARD - "PROVE IT TO YOU"

We’re pretty convinced…

[7.89]

Alfred Soto: What the fuck. I expected pop for NPR-affiliate listeners everywhere, not this homage to Clinton-era deep house where the percussion rattles and Brittany Howard gives the kind of anonymous vocal performance of which those dance classics were made. I'm on an airplane dancing, knocking drinks over. [9]

Katherine St. Asaph: The frontwoman of Alabama Shakes making a throbbing, explosive, furiously sung dance track, kinda like the midpoint of Prince, Depeche Mode, and classic house, about an all-consuming crush — i.e., the most Katherinebait thing imaginable — is something I never expected. The extended edit is not extended enough. [10]

TA Inskeep: A slightly warped take on late '90s prime-era deep house — think Masters at Work-adjacent — is easily the last thing I expected from Brittany Howard's sophomore solo album. And she sells it, with smart, crisp production and a voice that really can seem to sing anything. I love when queer art is this good. [8]

Harlan Talib Ockey: Music journalism is simply finding a thousand ways of saying 'good and also catchy'. It’s Brittany Howard doing house, of all things, and the synth chirp sounds like my washing machine. I love it. [8]

Tim de Reuse: Out from the unremarkable feel-good beat grows a strange, growling sound-animal, lashing together every other element, supporting the echoing vocals from below while filling in the dead air between bursts of gasping, airy synths. Few house-revival efforts in this day and age reach this level of sonic cohesion, filling in every frequency like a jigsaw puzzle without letting anything cover up anything else. Tropical not as in "Tropical House" (touristy, antiseptic, manicured) but Tropical as in humid, dense vegetation, a buzz of color and sensation. [8]

Ian Mathers: As someone who's mostly hit the heights of "well, I wouldn't actively avoid it" with Howard's work before (solo or in a band), turns out I like her doing skronky, lovelorn dance music a lot more. Is the whole record like this? Do I need to actually seek it out? [8]

Nortey Dowuona: Zac Cockrell on bass, Brad Allen Williams on guitar, Lloyd Buchanan and Paul Horton on keys, Nate Smith on drums: It takes a village to execute a producer's vision. Brittany's vision of four-on-the-floor pop is a compelling idea, but everyone clashes against one another. She mixes alongside Shawn Everett, forcing mastering engineers Emily Lazar and Chris Allgood to compress the raging bass, the overly loud drums, the stubby keyboard stabs. The latter jabs and rips into a box to create holes so that loose, squelching sounds can slip inside. I don't know what was proven by this, other than that Brittany cannot execute her vision, nor abandon it to establish a community. [5]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: I have been in a number of relationships where I am the one more likely to express my affection verbally. It can be rough at first to navigate, if only because underneath my love for speech is a stark reminder that it needn’t have supremacy over other modes of expression. And Jesus Christ, here is a song that makes this clear: the beat rattles and the synths roar, and Howard makes sure you can feel her passion even before she sings. “Prove It to You” is a nice three-minute reminder that we can all grow a little more sensitive to the ways we receive, well, anything from anyone. [7]

Leah Isobel: "Prove It to You" isn't so much a dance song as it is a rock song in dance clothing — or the other way around. While its straightforward, aerodynamic thump is conversant with house, all of its instrumentation is given a physical, earthy touch: its bass is overdriven and gritty, its kicks booming and heavy. In other hands it could come across as irritating authenticity-bait. Here, though, the effect isn't vaguely patronizing but grand and kaleidoscopic, its momentum sourced from actual, felt urgency ("I will show you how I feel for you right now") instead of perceived external necessity. Howard meets dance halfway; it's kind of like love. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[nofatclips]

Gimme All Your Love by Alabama Shakes from the album Sound & Color - Contest winner music video directed by Clayton McCracken (runner up video here)

[nofatclips-home]

Gimme All Your Love by Alabama Shakes from the album Sound & Color - Directed by Larry Ismail & Marie-Laure Blancho

[ineffibleohfuck]

y’all want an artist reccomendation?

(excuse any spelling mistakes i Do Not posess a braincell today)

welcome to avimie’s artist recommendations!!

This weeks singer/songwriter/band; Alabama Shakes!

Alabama Shakes is an American blues rock band formed in Athens, Alabama in 2009. The band currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, and drummer Steve Johnson. The group rose to prominence in the early 2010s and have sold over 1.5 million albums in the US.

The band began its career touring and performing at bars and clubs around the Southeast for two years while honing their sound and writing music. They recorded their debut album Boys & Girls with producer Andrija Tokic in Nashville while still unsigned. Online acclaim led ATO Records to sign the band, which released Boys & Girls in 2012 to critical success. The album’s hit single "Hold On" was nominated for three Grammy Awards. After a long touring cycle, the band recorded its second record Sound & Color, which was released in 2015 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and won four Grammy Awards. (Source; Wikipedia)

songs that i reccomend of theirs;

Alabama Shakes - Future People

Alabama Shakes - Hold On

Alabama Shakes - Don’t Wanna Fight

Alabama Shakes - Gimme All Your Love (Live on SNL)

Alabama Shakes - Over My Head

i hope y’all find this useful if you want!!

[alystayr]

Alabama Shakes - Don't Wanna Fight

[reviewsphere]

Brittany Howard NEW album ‘Jaime’ COMING OUT

MUSIC: Brittany Howard NEW album ‘Jaime’ and Tour Dates @blkfootwhtfoot @ColumbiaRecords @Alabama_Shakes @robertglasper @natesmithdrums #brittanyhoward

Brittany Howard – lead vocalist/guitarist for the chart-topping, GRAMMY®-winning band Alabama Shakes – will release her debut solo album, Jaime, on 20th September via Columbia Records.

Howard recorded Jaime after a cross country drive that took her from Nashville to a small house in Topanga, CA – a rustic Los Angeles county town wedged between the mountains and the beach.She titled the album…

[restismusic-blog]

Alabama Shakes

Band formed in Athens, Alabama, in 2009.  

Music based on rock blues & soul rhythms. 

Lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, 

second guitar Heath Fogg, bass Zac Cockrell 

on drums Steve Johnson. After they have

released an EP in 2011 group entered music 

industry with the first studio album called 

“Boys and Girls” one year later. In 2013 band 

came out with a single  “Always Alright”. 

Last album so far, called “Sound & Color” 

is a genuine masterpiece worth listening. 

[4x24-blog-blog]

Album der Woche - Boys & Girls

Album der Woche – Boys & Girls

Alabama Shakes sind eine US-amerikanische Rockband, die sich stilistisch zwischen Southern Rock und Blues bewegt.Gegründet wurde die Band 2009 von Sängerin Brittany Howard und Bassist Zac Cockrell in Athens, Alabama. Später kamen dann der Gitarrist Heath Fogg und der Schlagzeuger Steve Johnson hinzu. Im September 2011 veröffentlichte die Band die EP Alabama Shakes mit vier Songs. Im November…

[nickbockrath]

“You’ll Never Walk Alone” Grammys 2021 with Brittany Howard, Chris Martin, Nate Smith, Zac Cockrell, and Lloyd Buchanan. 

[isaktheartist]

Vinyl: Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color Whiskey: Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon Vinyl notes: God Bless the Alabama Shakes. This record is so rich and colorful. Listening to it intimately on headphones revealed for me how many different kinds of reverb show up on this record; all of them have its own color, depth, use, and style. A weird thing to point out, I know. But my producer side geeks out over this thing. Of course, the production isn’t the only great thing about this record: Brittany Howard’s impeccable vocal delivery and vibrant, eccentric lyrics are the key to this album slapping as hard as it does. Steve Johnson keeps the rhythm steady and groovy with some of the most c h e w y drums I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. Zac Cockrell brings in a rich yet bubbly bass lines that keep the foundation of these songs strong (especially in Gemini and Guess Who). And Heath Fogg’s guitar lines across this thing are nothing short of greatness, and at times, iconic. When these four people come together to make a record, magic happens. And I really, really hope they come out with another record soon. Whiskey notes: I bought this whiskey on a whim because it was only $30 and it came from Texas. Kentucky ain’t the only state that makes bourbon, and it surely ain’t the only state that makes great bourbon neither. God, this bottle went too fast. I get sweet sweet corn up front that turns into a spicy pepper, and the sweetness is consistent through the finish. I honestly don’t remember having a bourbon this oily and rich before. Even at 46% it’s full-bodied and it demands your attention. I will definitely be buying from Balcones again. .-~<{===}>~-. @alabama_shakes #soundandcolor #vinyl #currentlyspinning #nowspinning #33rpm @balconesdistilling #texasbourbon #potstill #whiskey #rich https://www.instagram.com/p/CAwSH7YhcAS/?igshid=1cx0w2yfrenzm

[nofatclips]

He Loves Me by Brittany Howard from ATO Records Spring 2020 Sampler

[whileiamdying]

Watch Brittany Howard play "Stay High", "Georgia", "Baby" and "Goat Head" at the Tiny Desk. More from NPR Music: Tiny Desk Concerts: https://www.npr.org/tinydesk Twitter: https://twitter.com/nprmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nprmusic Oct. 15, 2019 | Bob Boilen -- From the moment Brittany Howard walked into the NPR offices, I could sense her intense commitment and passion. Her eight-piece backing band, all decked out in red and black, played with a soulful subtlety that bolstered Brittany Howard's tender songs about her family — stories of a mixed-race child growing up in Alabama. All the songs performed at the Tiny Desk come from Jaime, an album Brittany Howard dedicated to her sister who died at the age of 13 from a rare form of eye cancer, the same disease that has left Brittany Howard partially blind in one eye. On these songs (and in particular at this Tiny Desk Concert), there is more nuance than I've heard in Brittany's past projects, including her work with Alabama Shakes and Thunderbitch. The music has a sense of wonder and playfulness, even when the subject is heavy, as in "Georgia." She tells the audience that it's a tale of "a little young, black, gay girl having a crush on an older black girl and not knowing what to say and how I was feeling." Brittany Howard knows how to tell a story, to foster empathy and understanding and, in this intimate setting, the songs feel at home. The connection with the audience felt visceral as I looked around the room and into the eyes of my workmates and their friends. Even a small child in the arms of their parent screamed at the appropriate moment during the climax of Brittany's song, "Baby." It gave us all a good laugh just when the weight of the words felt the heaviest. SET LIST "Stay High" "Georgia" "Baby" "Goat Head" MUSICIANS Brittany Howard: vocals, guitar; Nate Smith: drums; Alex Chakour: guitar; Brad Allen Williams: guitar; Zac Cockrell: bass; Lloyd Buchanan: keys; Paul Horton: keys; Shanay Johnson: vocals; Karita Law: vocals CREDITS Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Kara Frame, Beck Harlan, CJ Riculan; Associate Producer: Bobby Carter; Executive Producer: Lauren Onkey; VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann; Photo: Laura Beltran Villamizar/NPR

[852recordstores]

https://www.852-entertainment.com/products/brittany-howard-jaime-cd-2019-1?locale=en

Brittany Howard Jaime CD 2019

The debut solo album by the Alabama Shakes frontwoman. Brittany gave Jaime the same name of her sister, who passed away when both were teenagers. "The title is in memoriam, and she definitely did shape me as a human being," said Brittany Howard. "But, the record is not about her. It's about me. I'm pretty candid about myself and who I am and what I believe. Which is why I needed to do it on my own." Brittany assembled a band that included Alabama Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell, jazz keyboardist Robert Glasper and Grammy-nominated drummer Nate Smith to work on material she brought into engineer Shawn Everett's Los Angeles studio. She came out with an 11-track effort, the first under her own name.

1 History Repeats 2 He Loves Me 3 Georgia 4 Stay High 5 Tomorrow 6 Short and Sweet 7 13th Century Metal 8 Baby 9 Goat Head 10 Presence 11 Run to Me

Release Date: 20 Sept 2019

[upalldown]

Brittany Howard - Jaime

Debut full-length solo album from the Alabama Shakes frontwoman dedicated to her sister

8/13

In some of the press photos for Brittany Howard’s self-produced solo debut, Jaime, the esteemed Alabama Shakes frontwoman is caught in the midst of creation. In all these pictures, she’s seen forcefully singing; sometimes, she’s dancing, belting with all the power of her lungs or, as seen on Jaime’s artwork, channeling some higher power. These images suggest that singing and moving soulfully is the essence of Howard’s being, almost as if making music is the only way she can feel at ease.

These photos are apt reflections of Jaime’s music. The album’s 11 songs are spontaneous, fluid and entirely indifferent to genre as they pour out of her like the torrential rains of an evening thunderstorm. Although Alabama Shakes came close to making music this amorphous and quietly riotous on 2015’s Sound and Color—the shuffling “Guess Who” and the dimly lit “Sound and Color” among those highlights—Jaime is Howard’s sharpest cocktail yet of folk, blues, gospel, jazz and soul. Free of her band’s explicit rock tendencies (though Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell joined her in the studio alongside jazz drummer Nate Smith and legendary keyboardist Robert Glasper), she re-imagines her former band’s defining sound while exploring the very social ills these genres first addressed.

On squelchy opener “History Repeats,” Howard’s repeated chanting drives home a bluesy but galactic groove that never tires. “Stay High” combines scratchily recorded guitar strums and arhythmically twinkling chimes into a celestial backdrop appropriately reflective for Howard’s reminiscence on her childhood. On “Tomorrow,” Howard considers the promise of the future over gospel-indebted organs, call-and-response sections and handclaps. It’s more Brainfeeder than Boys & Girls.

Howard’s genre experimentation is most impressive on Jaime’s two most socially pointed tracks. “Goat Head” miraculously mixes lilting piano lines, tin-can drum work and playfully pelted xylophones into all but an adult nursery rhyme. Throughout the track, Howard recounts her upbringing as the daughter of a white mother and black father in rural Alabama, and the racism and hate crimes her family faced. “My mama was brave / To take me outside / ‘Cause Mama is white / And Daddy is black / When I first got made / Guess I made these folks mad” is the sort of deeply personal statement others might deliver with rage, but the song’s arrangement and Howard’s recitation renders her tale as no more incisive than a bedtime story. When she asks “Who slashed my dad’s tires and put a goat head in the back?” and admits she’ll never know the answer, she’s not exploding with rage. She’s instead calmly, but not quietly, tackling the ways that racism is woven into society.

Not that she’s just going to sit back and accept this. On the album’s other boldest gambit, “13th Century Metal,” Howard promises to “spread the enlightenment of love, compassion, and humanity to those who are not touched by its light,” “speak for those who cannot speak” and “oppose those whose will is to divide us and who are determined to keep us in the dark ages of fear.” Though these lyrics, not to mention the rally cries, (“I repeat, we are all brothers and sisters” and “give it to love”), could easily come across corny and clichéd, Howard’s unorthodox fusion of acidic synth triplets, rapid drum fills and her heavily-filtered speaking is as energizing and out-of-body as the most fervent of Sunday services.

“13th Century Metal” and “Goat Head” showcase the highs that Howard can reach when she’s fully in command. “I am a master student, and my spirit will never be stomped out,” she declares on the former track. This line puts words to the singing photos that have defined Jaime’s rollout: When Howard lets her passion flow unadulterated, she comes out at the top of the class.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/09/brittany-howard-jaime-review.html