Brittany Howard remains a force of nature. Her indomitable vocals build like a slow-churning hurricane, non-threatening until they’ve swelled into a full force gale. The Alabama Shakes frontwoman was a known quantity going into the band’s twilight ACL Fest set on Saturday, but that certainly didn’t diminish her power one iota.
Nevertheless, the revelation came with just how equally tight the backing has become as the Grammy-nominated quartet marches toward festival headliner status.
Howard took the stage casually to front the touring ninepiece, including three backup singers. Opening with the high moans of “Future People” from this year’s exceptional sophomore LP, Sound & Color, and “Hang Loose” from 2012’s Boys & Girls, she controlled the stage and crowd with a calm and cavalier presence, letting the emotion range in her voice.
The stoic build of “Dunes,” easy roll of “Shoegaze,” and slow R&B sway of “Miss You” highlighted the full reach of the band’s expansion with the new album, capped by the rough guitar strafes and low growls of “The Greatest.” Older cuts “Always Alright” and “On Your Way” likewise displayed the Shakes’ transforming into an enveloping, festival-calculated jam experience, the latter song broiling from slow soul into a full cathartic eruption.
Alabama Shakes manage to expertly wind through a tension and release behind Howard, and the closing quartet (“Don’t Wanna Fight,” “Gimme All Your Love,” “You Ain’t Alone,” and “Over My Head”) may well be one of the most impressive 15-minute stretches of the first weekend. Although the set concluded with time to spare, there was nothing left standing in the wake of Howard.
This article appears in October 2 • 2015.
