Alabama Shakes

Pretty Much Amazing Best 2012 on Alabama Shakes

#36 Boys & Girls

Slant Best of 2013 on Alabama Shakes

#16 Singer Brittany Howard is the public face of Alabama Shakes, with her earthy tornado of a stage presence and a microphone-melting garage-soul delivery, but the band's heart lies equally with Heath Fogg, whose two- or three-string guitar figures evoke both the textural dynamism of the Stax guys and the Ron Wood-style riffery of '70s British roots rock...full article here

Spinner Best of 2012 on Alabama Shakes

#8 In one fell swoop, Alabama Shakes demanded their roots-rock style be heard...full article here

American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums Of 2012 on Alabama Shakes

#10 Alabama Shakes are a buzz band in more ways than one; many months of blog love preceded their full-length debut, and it turned out to be the sort of album on which nobody had really sweated the presence of ambient amplifier hum. The buzz hadn’t yet begun when the small-town quartet first started recording, and there’s almost more of the plug-in-and-let-it-rip feel of demo sessions to Boys & Girls than a strategized attempt to make a serious studio statement. Brittany Howard is the raw, young soul shouter that fronts this wiry southern rock band, as well as its primary songwriter, and she has a surging, conversational way of arriving at moments of catharsis...full article here

TheOwlMag on Alabama Shakes

Alabama Shakes Boys & Girls [ATO]

Already touted as one of “2012’s Bands to Watch” off the strength of a four track EP, but with the release of their debut LP Boys & Girls, Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, Zac Cockrell, Steve Johnson, and Heath Fogg prove that it’s a label well-deserved.

Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard’s vocal chops immediately commands attention on opening track “Hold On.” Flavored with that enduring classic rock, seasoned with a bit of soul and blues sound. Howard’s Janis Joplin-esque voice powers each track, and it’s apparent, even in the slightly quieter tracks like “I Found You.” The soulful yearning beauty of “You Ain’t Alone” tugs at the heartstrings. “All them girls, might wanna rip us apart. If they want a fight, they done start fucking with the wrong heart,” intones Howard on “Be Mine.”

Is it fair that lead singers usually get all the attention? Probably not, but it’s hard not to focus on Brittany Howard. At the same time, don’t discount the rest of the Shakes, for whilst Howard is the arrow, the rest of the band comprises the bow and only together do they hit that sweet spot in your earhole. The Alabama Shakes’ amalgamation of old school rock/soul with a pinch of blues has created a timeless album; the kind that would sound amazing on any format, but is begging to be savored on vinyl.

Los Angeles Times: Pop & Hiss on Alabama Shakes

#10 Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls Los Angeles Times - 2012 Albums Of The Year

PASTE's Best of What's Next on Alabama Shakes

“It’s been kind of like a dream, because everything’s happened so fast,” frontwoman Brittany Howard says. “It’s not like you have time to assess what’s going on around you.”   more at pastemagazine.com

Amoeba Music on Alabama Shakes

Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls (CD) Brittany Howard’s husky, powerful voice carries a set of heavy blues burners on Boys & Girls. She is capable of singing slowly and soulfully, through chugging first single “Hold On,” as she is of crying to the heavens, as she does on the touching “You Ain’t Alone.” The band does a brilliant job of setting her up and getting out of the way, coming in when they need to, like...more at amoeba.com

Quit Mumbling on Alabama Shakes

From wherever you are reading this post right now, get ready to be transplanted to the South. Even if you have never stepped foot on Confederate soil, The Alabama Shakes will make you feel like you know the Mississippi Delta like the back of your hand. With a heavy dose of soul-revival, some incredibly explosive pipes, and a few no nonsense blues riffs, this band is taking it back to the basics. Led by singer and songwriter Brittany Howard, the Alabama Shakes formed in Athens, Alabama. After wrapping up a tour with Drive-By Truckers, the band more here

Quit Mumbling on Alabama Shakes

From wherever you are reading this post right now, get ready to be transplanted to the South. Even if you have never stepped foot on Confederate soil, The Alabama Shakes will make you feel like you know the Mississippi Delta like the back of your hand. With a heavy dose of soul-revival, some incredibly explosive pipes, and a few no nonsense blues riffs, this band is taking it back to the basics. Led by singer and songwriter Brittany Howard, the Alabama Shakes formed in Athens, Alabama. After wrapping up a tour with Drive-By Truckers, the band more at elbo.ws

mySpoonful on Alabama Shakes

Alabama Shakes will make you shimmy to the down home grooves of their eponymous EP, a refreshing take on southern soul and a celebration of a musical genre. A cross between motown soul and southern R&B, Alabama Shakes singer Brittany Howard alternates between the classic soul voice of Mary Wells (of "My Guy" and "Beat Me To The Punch" fame) on "I Found You" and an androgynous version of Jack White, on the lead track "Hold On". more at myspoonful.com