Nothing really compares to seeing a band play live. Sometimes you discover something great by
arriving early enough to catch the openers.
Other times, you get close enough to one of your heroes to shake his
hand. Even if the band isn’t that
great, though, the passion with which they play and the emotion of the crowd can be
enough to make the experience a great one.
As I jogged around the neighborhood today with Alabama
Shakes, I kept thinking about how great it must be to see them live. Based on Boys & Girls, I’ll run out to catch Alabama Shakes the first chance I get,
but I’m not sure that’s exactly what you should be thinking when listening to a
studio album.
Don’t get me wrong. I
really enjoyed Boys & Girls, but
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the energy of this band doesn’t want to be
bottled up in album form. Absent the
crowd and without that feeling of the bass thumping you in the chest, Alabama
Shakes sound almost like a really, really good cover or tribute band.
Their sound fits pretty squarely into Woodstock-era rock,
and they do it well. Janis Joplin,
Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, and Motown are all obvious influences. Lead vocalist Brittany Howard pours her heart
and soul into her performance, and the rest of the band does a great job of
keeping a familiar sound alive. That sound, at times though, can seem almost too familiar.
Single “Hold On,” which earned Alabama Shakes some buzz, is
one of the best songs of the year. Other
standouts include the soulful tracks “You Ain’t Alone” and “I Ain’t the Same.”
The lyric that really sums up Alabama Shakes comes from
“Goin’ to the Party.” Howard sings,
“You’re goin’ to the party / By the end of the night / There’s gonna be dancin’
/ There’s gonna be a fight.” I don’t
think Boys & Girls ever really
delivers on that feeling, but I have no trouble picturing Alabama Shakes as the
band at some pretty wild parties.
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