Return of Alabama Shakes

Now they are back with their eagerly anticipated second album Sound And Color, and playing arguably the biggest show of the weekend at Brighton Dome Concert Hall.

The received wisdom about reproducing an album live is that it slowly gets faster as the tour goes on and the musicians’ muscle memory builds.

But, according to guitarist Heath Fogg, Alabama Shakes buck that trend when it comes to the stage version of Sound And Color.

“All the songs live are way slower,” he says. “If we play something too fast we call it ‘record speed’.

“I think we all just get lost in a slow, dynamic groove – we are comfortable making music like that.”

Often following up an internationally successful debut album like the band’s calling card Boys And Girls can be a difficult obstacle. But Fogg says the second album’s creation was much more satisfying than its predecessor.

“We recorded Boys And Girls over the course of a year,” he says. “We had gone into the studio to record a few demos, then maybe an EP and it grew until it felt like we had an album. It was a long journey – by the time Boys And Girls came out we were really interested in working on new material, but we were so busy we didn’t have time to write on the road.”

He says Sound And Color was written and recorded on the band’s own terms, in a series of small sessions over longer periods of time in the studio.

“The songs grew each time we went into the studio,” he says. “There were two moments when we thought we had finished, but then we would go into the studio and great songs would come out.”

Boys And Girls was characterised by a strong rootsy rhythm and blues sound, largely down to frontwoman Brittany Howard’s Janis Joplin-esque vocal pipes.

Although Howard’s voice is still central to the sound, the new album is much more varied, with touches of soul, funk and pop especially on the Al Green-style harmonies of Guess Who and heartfelt Miss You, alongside the bluesy grooves and jams.

“The whole of the last record had more of a classic R&B feel to it,” says Fogg. “People claimed it was throwback R&B – but the songs didn’t feel that way to us. A song like Rise To The Sun was much more dreamy and ambiguous than that. I’ve always loved exploring different genres.”

He feels Howard’s vocal performance has grown as she gained confidence on the road.

“One of my favourite vocal takes I have ever heard her perform was on Miss You,” he says. “She did it all in one take – everyone in the control room was blown away.

“It’s been interesting over the last few years to see her get stronger as a singer. It has progressed musically in a way that is so athletic. I think it was doing it night after night – she gained a lot more confidence in herself, she can do things she couldn’t do before.”

Some of the songs on the new album came from demos Howard had created in their entirety at home – including the opening title track and closer Over My Head.

“Everyone in the band was mad for those songs,” says Fogg. “As soon as she played them to us we wanted to make them Alabama Shakes songs. They are extremely laid back.”

With this album the band joined forces with producer Blake Mills, who provided a valuable sounding board.

“In our world we have got a lot of people behind us, who help us to shows and put our albums out,” says Fogg. “There are a lot of people giving us support all the time.

“It was good to have someone in there who wasn’t biased, who could give us the cold, hard truth at times, even if we didn’t agree with him.

“He was a good person to bounce ideas off, he had a good perspective. I’ve enjoyed learning and growing with Blake.”

Alabama Shakes grew from a group of friends who liked to hang out and play music together. As a result a close family feeling has developed when they get out on the road.

“It’s like going out for a road trip with your friends,” says Fogg of touring. “I feel lucky that we don’t have to tour constantly. When it gets stagnant we take a break, it’s good for the relationships in the band, and it feels exciting each time we have another tour.

“When I was in bands before, playing covers, I sometimes had gigs in bars where we would play for four hour slots. It’s nice now to go out and do a half-hour or an hour!”

For their latest tour the band has been playing the whole of the new album live, augmented by selections from Boys And Girls and a few rare B-sides.

Fogg says the band has been gaining confidence on the road.

“We’re really fortunate in being able to play shows now where the crowd is there to see us,” he says. “It helps you relax compared to when you’re an opening band, where there’s a little more anxiousness.

“We do still like playing fast rock and roll – we sometimes play [driving Sound And Color highlight] The Greatest as fast as we can if the moment is right. It’s fun for the crowd and gives us another dynamic to play with during the show.”

He is looking forward to returning to Brighton after a three-year break.

“We played lots of festivals at that time,” he says. “They were like milestones for us I guess, and that Great Escape show was one of them. I liked Brighton – I’m excited to be back.

“We did a TV show in Paris a while back and this nice guy was really into the band. He said this great thing after we performed – he told us how good we were, but in three months time we were going to be amazing.

“By the time we come to Brighton we will be performing at that level he was hoping for!”

Support from The Strypes.

Alabama Shakes: Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Church Street, Friday, May 15. Doors 7.30pm, gig only tickets £21. Call 01273 709709.