Bluesy rock hasn't been done so good since a certain two-piece “brother/sister” outfit from Detroit were with us. Rough Trade Records, and many other people on Twitter that I follow have been raving about this lot for days before I wrote this review. They are the next big thing and rightly so. That's it. We're done. Review over.
Ok. I suppose I'd better tell you why, although one listen to this debut record should be enough to convince you.
Alabama Shakes (formerly just “The Shakes”, but there's loads of bands called that now) are from, well, Alabama. They've been a band for three years and only just released their debut mainstream EP (self-titled) six months ago. Since then, they've won an MTVU Woodie award, and have featured on Conan in the USA. Not bad for a five-piece of up-and-comers. So what's all the fuss about? Their music, at face value alone, has stock pots full of local influence. It sounds so Southern it may as well be covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Lead vocalist Brittany Howard powers her way through each of the eleven tracks on offer here with the kind of gusto and prowess that infers that this band are experts in their field and have years of experience to draw on. Among that power, especially visible on opener 'Hold On', there's a true fragility, a near-whimper that draws the listener in and really bridges an emotional connection with her and the songs. Take crashy ballad 'Rise to the Sun' and this proves that point beautifully.
Some of it is true soul, some of it has links to gospel music, and some of it could quite literally have been taken from a White Stripes record. The branches from this musical tree poke out in all sorts of directions, but the tracks on offer here all manage to retain a true focus and meaning without ever getting pretentious, boring or samey. It's a masterful art, and it's already clear to hear why the Alabama Shakes have been getting so much praise heaped upon them out of seemingly nowhere.
'You Ain't Alone' is a true highlight. A gentle, near tear-inducing waltz where Howard gives off arguably her most impressive vocal performance of the whole record so far during its opening half. The arrangement of the rest of the band is utterly perfect, with the piano chords keeping the ¾ time, a sudden stab from the summery guitar adding a huge warmth, and the drums managing to maintain subtlety until suddenly given the right to truly rock out and smash around near the end as this perfect, yes perfect, track crescendos to its grand finale.
Another particular highlight is 'I Ain't the Same', the albums penultimate opus. A hammering soul-tinged piece of rock that really tests Howards vocal range as she yoyos between delicate falsetto and a gravelly burst. This is the song that the band give absolutely everything to, not that they can be accused of not doing this with the others, it's just you can tell as each drum crash gets harder and harder, as Howard gets more and more exasperated, and as the guitar strings take yet more heavy punishment that a large number of instruments lost their lives for the recording of this song. It's music in its rawest, purest form and it utterly astounding.
The recording of each of these songs isn't exactly crisp. There's a slight distortion and crackle with each guitar riff, and the vocals are slightly thick and heavy. This is not a criticism. This adds a huge amount to the album, making the whole effect of the music feel even more authentic and underground. There's no need for this album to be flashy or over-produced. There's no need whatsoever for the songs to be finely tuned. You get the distinct impression that these songs will sound just as genuine as they would be if the band were inside your CD player, iPod or computer playing to you directly and exclusively. It's the little touches like these (or perhaps, the lack thereof) that fits the final pieces of the jigsaw together.
Put simply, this album crunches, crashes, stomps and hammers just as much as it treads, tiptoes, glides and swans. There's plenty of swagger here to show that these five musicians are not to be pushed around, but equally enough tenderness to show that there's a true beauty behind each and every one of the songs on offer here. Alabama Shakes haven't created a simple album to stick on in the background. Oh no. They're created a masterpiece of this age, and they should be thoroughly proud of it too.
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Ok. I suppose I'd better tell you why, although one listen to this debut record should be enough to convince you. 
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