Album Review: What Now by Brittany Howard
Album Review: What Now by Brittany Howard
After five years, Brittany Howard returns with a next chapter to a detailed portrait in friction reflection.
Brittany Howard’s life story reads like a vivid narrative filled with unique experiences, starting when she was a 17-year-old living alone in a house in Athens, Alabama. This wasn’t just any house, but one that previously belonged to her great-grandmother and seemed to be filled with more than just memories. Here, in this place with its own eerie presence, where doors and cabinets moved seemingly on their own, the Alabama Shakes—Howard’s band formed with high school classmate Zac Cockrell—found their initial practice space.
The Shakes, as they came to be known, were deeply influenced by the soulful echoes of artists like Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, and Curtis Mayfield. Their sound, a reflection of a South caught between past and future, resonated deeply with many. Yet, in 2019, at the brink of reaching a wider acclaim, Howard chose a different path. She departed from the band to launch her solo career with the album Jaime, a tribute to her late sister while residing in New Mexico with her partner, Jesse Lafser.
However, 2020 brought unforeseen challenges. Howard’s plans for a European tour were halted by the pandemic, but this break led to an unexpected creative surge. In the confines of a small bedroom turned studio, she crafted songs that, initially thought to be personal musings, later evolved into her next album What Now. This album emerged from another hauntingly unique residence in East Nashville, a century-old yellow house filled with antique charm.
What Now showcases Howard’s fearless expression through a fusion of soul, funk, and a rich array of buzzing grooves. It is a testament to her journey, marked by pain, love, and introspection, all crisscrossing into a mix of psychedelic sounds, soul, and blues. This album, like Jaime, is a reflection of her experiences with relationships, her perspective on the world, and her evolving notions of liberation.
The album’s title track epitomizes Howard’s quest for clarity in relationships, underscored by intense and chaotic musical elements. “Red Flags” continues this theme, offering a fast-paced, electric journey through the realization of toxic love. In contrast, tracks including “Prove It to You” blend pop sensibilities with vulnerable lyrics, while “I Don’t,” “Samson,” and “Patience” cater to soul and jazz aficionados, combining relaxing blues rhythms with poignant questions and soulful yearnings.
Howard’s personal background, as a queer woman of mixed heritage from Alabama, permeates her music. Mid-album, she includes a mournful interlude featuring Maya Angelou’s reading of “A Brave and Startling Truth.” The album culminates with “Every Color in Blue,” a dynamic fusion of trumpets and echoing vocals, showcasing Howard’s unique ability to blend a spectrum of sounds into a cohesive narrative.
For those who appreciated the eclectic mix in Jaime, What Now will be a delightful exploration. It balances the erratic with the dreamy, the fast-paced with the romantic, offering a little bit of everything for a diverse audience. Howard’s journey in What Now is not just about what’s said in the music, but it’s about confronting and embracing the complexities of life, love, and self-discovery.
Great (★★★★☆)
Favorite Track(s): “I Don’t,” “Prove It to You,” “Every Color in Blue”