BRANTLEY GUTIERREZ
18 • UNCUT • OCTOBER 2019
O CTO B E R 2019
TA K E 269
1 OHSEES(P22)
2 WILCO(P25)
3 IGGYPOP(P34)
4 GRUFF RHYS(P37)
ALBUM
OFTHE
MONTH
9/
B
RITTANYHOWARDhasthe
kindofvoicethatinstantly
summonsthemusicalpast.
Andthat’stheproblem.
Herband,AlabamaShakes,
trieditsbesttododgethe
verystickylabelofthrowback
Americana,makingtheacclaimed,fiercelymodern
Sound& Colorin2015.Buttheindustrystilltreatsthe
ShakesandHowardasspokespeopleforthe“good
olddays”,throwingthema Grammynominationfora
documentaryfilmperformanceofMemphisMinnie’s
“KillerDillerBlues”recordedona primitivesound
systemandchoosingHowardtoinductSisterRosetta
TharpeintotheRockAndRollHallOfFame.
Theconnectionwasclear– Howard’sgritty,colossal
vocalsandsavageguitarputhersquarelyona
continuumbacktothegreatfemaleblues guitarists
ofthemid-20thcentury.Butshe
alsobristlesattheboundaries
ofthatpigeonhole.Recently
shetoldGarden& Gun, “I’m
tiredofpeopleguessingwho
I am,makingupwhoI am.
LikeI’mjustthisthrowback
ArethaFranklin-likesoul
singer,whichI cando,but
there’ssomuchmoretome
thanthat.ButI havetoshowit.”
Doingsomeantputting
AlabamaShakes,theband
Howardhasplayedwithfor
a decade, on indefinite hiatus.
AfterdabblinginsideprojectsThunderbitch
andBermudaTriangle,Howardnowreleases
herfirstrecordunderherownname,and
Jaimedeliversonhermissionofself-
realisation,distancingherfromtheShakes
andtherevivalisthopesthatsurroundthem,
whilemakinghercaseasa genre-freeiconoclast
inthe‘tony’neighbourhoodofD’AngeloorPrince.
If Howardis stillkeepingonefootinthepast,it’s
shiftedtoa historythat’smuchmoreautobiographical
thancultural.Therecordis namedafterHoward’s
sister,whodiedasa teenagerhavingsparked
Howard’sinitialinterestinmusic,teachingherpiano
andsongwriting.Thattributesignifiesthedeeply
personalsubjectmatterwithin,asHowardaddresses
hersexuality,hermixed-raceheritageandreligious
beliefsinsongsasunflinchinglyandcathartically
honest as a social mediaconfessional.
“I createbecauseI haveto,
becausethat’swhatI like
todo,”Howardsays.“I was
like,whydon’tI create
somethingmyself,whydon’t
I justdoit thewayI wanttodo
it,dosomethingchallenging
andscary.”
Intermsofpersonnel,Jaime
isn’tcompletelyuntethered
fromHoward’spriorprojects.
AlabamaShakesbassistZac
Cockrell,whohascollaborated
withHowardsincehighschool,
stayed on. Returning
BRITTANY HOWARD
Jaime
COLUMBIA
AlabamaShakessinger/guitaristshowsthere’s“somuch
more” with her solo debut.By Rob Mitchum
THE UNCUT GUIDE TO THIS MONTH’S KEY RELEASES
“I know He still loves me when I’m smoking blunts”
