Sound & Color

by Alabama Shakes

Overview

On their 2012 debut Boys & Girls, Alabama Shakes never hid that they were creatures of the New South -- a band with old-fashioned blues, soul, gospel, and country in their blood but raised on modern rock. On their 2015 follow-up, Sound & Color, they free themselves from the vestiges of the past, let loose, and push themselves further in either direction. This could've resulted in a disjointed record pulling itself in two opposing directions, but the mess of Sound & Color is invigorating, likely because the album uses its title as a creed. Where Boys & Girls sometimes seemed a shade austere -- the band took pains to color within the lines, almost as if to convey their good taste -- Sound & Color bursts with oversaturated hues so vivid they seem almost tangible. Such deep digressions into shade and light accentuate both the group's roots and modernity, but the very fact that they chase after such bold, elastic sounds signals they're hardly a throwback. Plus, the group's attack is muscular here: there's a strong, boundless funk to "Don't Wanna Fight," but there's a similar power behind the slow-churning soul ballad "Gimme All Your Love." Often, Sound & Color takes flight when Alabama Shakes channel that energy into ever-shifting, liquid performances that almost feel like roots psychedelia, typified by "Future People" skipping off its tight Memphis groove with spooky harmonies and thudding fuzz. Such unaffected weird flourishes are evidence that Alabama Shakes are creatures of their time and place -- they play Southern soul-rock in an era where the past is indistinguishable from the present, and how the band interlaces the old and the new on Sound & Color feels startlingly fresh. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/21/2015
Label:	Ato
UPC:	0880882226725

Tracks

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

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alabama Shakes   Primary Artist
Brittany Howard   Percussion,Vibraphone,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards
Heath Fogg   Guitar,Percussion
Zac Cockrell   Bass,Percussion
Blake Mills   Guitar,Percussion,Vibraphone
Rob Moose   Strings
Paul Horton   Keyboards
Steve Johnson   Drums,Percussion
Ben Tanner   Keyboards,Percussion,Vibraphone

Technical Credits

Lucie Gris   Illustrations
Brittany Howard   Group Member,String Arrangements,Arranger,Composer,Lyricist
Heath Fogg   Composer,Group Member
Zac Cockrell   Composer,Group Member
Bob Ludwig   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Blake Mills   Writer,Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Rob Moose   Arranger,String Arrangements
Steve Johnson   Composer,Composer,Group Member
Shawn Everett   Mixing,Engineer
Brantley Gutierrez   Photography
Mario Hugo   Design,Art Direction,Illustrations
Dan Hennessy   Design,Illustrations
Alabama Shakes   Composer,Producer,Performer