Ten Years of “Sound and Color”

Alabama Shakes reunited in December 2024 for a surprise performance for the first time since the announcement of their hiatus in 2018. As the group prepares to release new music and embark on their first tour in nearly a decade, we have decided to revisit the group’s sophomore album, “Sound and Color,” released ten years ago to critical acclaim.

Truly, it’s hard to believe it’s been this long since this record came out. I remember the day it came out, seeing it plastered on the front of the iTunes store. Now, after several years of lead vocalist, Brittany Howard, pursuing a solo career, Alabama Shakes have chosen to return to the scene, and we could not be any more thrilled. 

Title track, “Sound and Color,” opens with this hypnotic vibraphone introduction, slowly painting the foundation of the record, adding in shuffled drums and keys. “Sound and Color” repeats through the outro, with Howard’s impeccable harmonies synergizing with emotive expression, “I want to touch a human being…ain’t life just awful strange?” It has been previously said that the track is about an astronaut that has been frozen in time, coming back to life and seeing how much things have changed. I think this can be applied as a metaphor for experiencing loneliness and isolation, which Howard is all-too-familiar with through her experiences as a black, queer woman growing up in the South, and as someone who has experienced significant loss from a young age. The track lays the groundwork for the rest of the album, with sound painting brushstrokes of deep, velvety mauves through spinning sound. Maybe it’s just the power of suggestion through the album title, but it’s hard to refrain from associating color with the various tracks on the record.

“Don’t Wanna Fight,” opens with a twangy, syncopated guitar duet that brings out this light green hue from the background, reworking the feel from the first track. It’s effervescent and refreshing, contrasting with the lyrical content depicting a relationship marred by incompatibility. It’s easy to understand why this was chosen as the lead single ahead of the full album release. Howard’s jagged “ooh” heading into the first verse is sharp as a razor, cutting through the music and putting her presence at center stage. 

“Dunes” occupies a space somewhere at the crossroad of Led Zeppelin and MC5 with a dash of Aretha Franklin. Initially, the production leaves me feeling like I have water in my ears from the equalization of Howard’s vocals. I can look past this for the artistic effect it adds, especially in stereo, and I think this is an underrated song from the Shakes’ discography. It’s pure 70s in its sound; the dry, muffled drums and dirty fuzz complement Howard’s magnificently-blended harmonies.

“Future People” proves to me that Alabama Shakes songs hit their stride after their intro. The jagged bass, synth, or whatever it may be, adds such a garage lo-fi component that makes it feel like I could be listening to a record I found in a long-forgotten bin at a record shop just waiting for someone to give it the time of day.

“Gimme All Your Love” plays with dynamics in a manner that really showcases the band’s musical abilities. The opening guitar and snare hits will jolt anyone unfamiliar with the track. This grandiose entrance oscillates between punchy guitar and clean, sizzly ride pings. This song is gentle, soulful, and romantic, but comes in blazing with the chorus. In my opinion, as unpopular as this may be, the bridge is the best part. The walking, booming, muted bass line coupled with syncopated keys and sloshy open-hat drums leading into a pre chorus call-and-response of the guitar between right and left channels is impeccable. “Gimme All Your Love” is undoubtedly the highlight of the album, and in an album full of incredible musicianship, this says a lot.

“This Feeling” completely changes the vibe, embracing minimalism and stripping down all of the fanfare and fuzz, while still making it clear who is behind this song. The nylon string guitar, upright bass, and hand drum keep things moving along, no big muff necessary. “Guess Who” keeps things chill, embracing the lo-fi, homemade aesthetic that takes over the middle of this record.

“Gemini” is the longest track on the record, clocking in at 6:35. This is a song that warrants a few listens. I find myself oscillating attention from the phasing keys dancing between my right and left ear, and Howard’s hypnotic, echoing vocals. The drums feel like they’re on the back end of the beat, which builds that tension in the song; the drums take the backseat here, but their presence is not lost on me. I love the way the album plays with stereo sound, it feels like the song is flossing my brain. The incorporation of auxiliary percussion contrasts the crying bit-crushed guitar.

“Gemini” is the longest track on the record, clocking in at 6:35. This is a song that warrants a few listens. I find myself oscillating attention from the phasing keys dancing between my right and left ear, and Howard’s hypnotic, echoing vocals. The drums feel like they’re on the back end of the beat, which builds that tension in the song; the drums take the backseat here, but their presence is not lost on me. I love the way the album plays with stereo sound, it feels like the song is flossing my brain. Additionally, the incorporation of auxiliary percussion contrasts the crying bit-crushed guitar tone with incredible complementation.

“Over My Head” closes out the album, it feels almost like a requiem for “Sound and Color,” Howard proclaims “loving so deeply, I’m in over my head” over and over again, contrasting the feelings of loneliness in the beginning of the album. Love and relationships can be complicated; human interaction is often a strange push-pull relationship beyond what we will ever be able to understand. 

Brittany Howard may have ended Alabama Shakes’ last album with emotions over her head, but her time as a solo artist has allowed her to grow significantly as an artist. The group has announced their return with the pending release of their first record in a decade, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this incredible group of artists, including catching them on tour this summer.