Kategorie: CD-Reviews | Genre: Blues/Bluesrock, Other | Heft: Jahrgang 2012, eclipsed Nr. 139 / 4-2012 | VÖ-Jahr: 2012 | Wertung: 8/10 | Label: Rough Trade | Autor: WK
A riff that could date from the mid-sixties, a groove like CCR and a voice that immediately evokes associations with Janis Joplin. The Alabama Shakes are the latest sensation from Athens, Georgia, which is not exactly poor in musical surprises. Adele, Bon Iver and Jack White have already posted the band to the Olymp before the production of their first album. The young singer Brittany Howard is a natural talent, her band shines as a team of accomplished songwriters. This mixture makes the Alabama Shakes special. You think you've known songs like "Hold On" or "Rise To The Sun" for years, the whole album seems like a single déjà-vu. And yet everything is new and exciting. The sound of the Alabama Shakes is simple retrosoul in pure culture. But like the Black Keys or early Kings Of Leon, their music doesn't seem antiquated for a second. It is rather an expression of the longing of a digitally grown up youth for analog sound experiences. The fact that it has become known through the Internet does not bother the band in the least. On the contrary, the blogger culture protests against itself.
Top track: Rise To The Sun
