Alabama Shakes!

Oh man do they shake. Alabama Shakes, hails from little known Athens, Alabama, hence the name. On first listen through, the album feels old. Its grittiness, accompanied with its homey, down-south soul-influenced rock make it feel straight out of the 70's (not too mention that they began with covers of Zeppelin, Otis Redding and James Brown). Boys and Girls is their first full length album, and it is solid from top to bottom. The opening track "Hold On" is a hook in itself, in which the band throws everything it has at you. Lead singer Brittany Howard has refined her powerful, raspy, Joplin-esque voice into a force that is distinguishable in her own right. Her voice truly shines on "Be Mine" and "Rise to the Sun" in which she literally belts into almost a scream. Even when the album gets truly rockin' it is incredibly smooth. As a fan of that classic soul and rock, this album seems like nostalgia at its best. But honestly, its better than that. They haven't reinvented the genre, but they might be on their way.  Bro, this album, and this band are going places. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le-3MIBxQTw