Every so often, an artist emerges who catches your attention upon the first few seconds of listening. Alabama Shakes, a fresh yet classic 70's sounding rock quartet, is one of those artists. I first discovered them via a live set they did on KCRW (check it out, it's fantastic) a few months before their debut album, Boys & Girls was released. After the rousing live set, I made sure to pick up the album when it came out.
Lead singer Brittany Howard possesses a voice evokes memories of legends past, such as Janis Joplin. She has the kind of voice that can sing any type of music and make it sound great. On lead single "Hold On" Howard sings "Bless my heart/bless my soul/didn't think I'd make it to 22 years old/There must me someone up above saying'/Come on Brittany, you got to come on up," over some bouncing bass, a steady, tapping drum beat and matching guitar parts. It's a good song no doubt; There's a reason why the band chose it as a single…It has an immediacy that is hard to deny. It gets you from the opening notes.
However, it may just be one of my least favorite songs on the album, a true testament to the strength of the disc as a whole. There's "Hang Loose" with the opening guitar hook and the keys that fill out the background and give the song a charm that's infectious. And that's not even mentioning Howard, who really belts it full force. The quiet, yet sneakily good "Goin' To The Party" brings things down to a hush before "Heartbreaker" crashes onto the scene with its 60's hard rock/soul flavor. The explosive "Be Mine" precedes the excellent "I Ain't The Same"- easily the highlight of the album. The next to last track on the LP is a great starting point if you want something a little more aggressive. The songwriting on the disc is typically good and especially so for a band with as little seasoning as them.
That's not to say the album is without flaws. "Rise To The Sun" utilizes a rather unpleasant guitar tone that overwhelms the rest of the track; Not to mention the chorus isn't especially noteworthy. It's a somewhat repetitive song, and the things that are being repeated aren't particularly interesting. Title track "Boys & Girls" is a tale about Howard in her youth, and how as she grew up she was told she could not keep her male best friend. There are certainly qualities about the song that I enjoy, namely her voice as it is rather soothing here as well as the story being told. However, I realize this song is not for everyone as it takes repeated listens until it fully reveals itself. Album closer "On Your Way" is a little heavy for my taste as the dream like instrumentation coupled with the quite depressing lyrics can be a little much if you are in a good mood. I appreciate a sad song every now and then, don't get me wrong. I just think it's a little much here.
All in all, it's an very solid debut album from an artist who is undoubtedly on the rise. The sky is truly the limit for them, as extreme mainstream appeal is certainly possible considering the catchy nature of some of the songs as well as the strength of the vocals. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, and i think you will to if you like classic rock. 88/100
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