Just when the music world seems a little stale, along comes a band like the Alabama Shakes. Fronted by 23-year-old singer/guitarist Brittany Howard, they play a brand of hard-edged soul that sounds like an updated version of Big Brother & the Holding Company. In fact, Janis Joplin is one of the singers to whom Howard has been compared, along with Tina Turner. I also hear a little Amy WInehouse in her too. But Howard is clearly an original. She told the New York Times she doesn't embrace the neo-soul label. This is simply what came out of her after a childhood of listening to soul music at her grandmother's house. Their full-length debut was released this week. Get it. Now.
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