★★★★★
It'd be easy to assume that Alabama Shakes - a soulful, bluesy, rocky four-piece from Athens, Alabama (not to be confused with REM's hometown of Athens, Georgia) - have been snapped up by Rough Trade in an attempt to fill the hole in the market since Amy Winehouse's death. But that would be inappropriate, disrespectful cynicism...
- recordcollectormag.com
2013-04-02
★★★★★
Debut albums by a once obscure Southern blues quartet don't come any more hyped than this. Through no fault of their own, the foursome has lots to live up to, and while the result doesn't justify the buildup, there is no doubt that frontwoman Brittany Howard is a major talent. Her vocals have a sweat and whisky soaked swagger that is similar to Janis Joplin, without the latter's rasp or self-destructive streak...
- www.americansongwriter.com
2012-04-30
★★★★★
ATO Since the Alabama Shakes were already being hailed as the saviors of the blogger, hippie, soul-revival and NPR scenes based on their incredible live show and a memorable Bandcamp.com page, their debut album almost feels like an afterthought. Which is a shame since Boys & Girls is the type of honest, independent minded, almost-retro album that should be passed down from older siblings and through college dorm halls to fans looking for a gateway into the Southeast's sonic history...
- www.relix.com
2012-04-26
★★★★★
As far as supersonic rises to fame go, Jeremy Lin could stand to learn a thing or two from the Alabama Shakes. In the span of a year, the band has gone hawking their self-titled EP on the Nashville DIY circuit to being the toast of last fall's CMJ Music Marathon in New York to working on one of the most anticipated full-length debuts in recent memory...
- www.pastemagazine.com
2012-04-23
★★★★★
Alabama Shakes Boys & Girls (ATO Records) Janis Joplin The Pearl Sessions (Legacy Recordings) Historically, it's been the kiss of death for too many: "The next Bob Dylan." "The next Bruce Springsteen." "The next Stevie Ray Vaughan." Early on, an artist or band gets slotted by the mainstream music press and, saddled with a pair of shoes they may have never intended to fill in the first place, cannot live up to the label laid upon them...
- www.jambands.com
2012-04-19
★★★★★
The last year has caught the modest Alabama Shakes by surpise. They rose from a homegrown Athens, Ala., blues rock outfit to a standout new band at both CMJ and SXSW, becoming an Internet-fueled sensation with debut Boys & Girls. Interviews and photos of shows alike display the band in rumpled jeans and wrinkled flannel shirts, casually performing with the same humility and enthusiasm as they would at a backyard barbecue amidst family and friends...
- www.prefixmag.com
2012-04-19
★★★★★
If you are a No Ripcord regular, I think I can say with certainty that you have heard of Alabama Shakes. With appearances on late-night talk shows, highly circulated single Hold On, and self-titled EP last September, Boys & Girls, the debut LP from the blues-rocking quartet from Athens, Alabama, has been widely anticipated throughout the blogosphere...
- www.noripcord.com
2012-04-19
★★★★★
Assured full-length debut by precocious spawn of Muscle Shoals.... There is much to admire about Boys & Girls, the full-length debut by Alabama Shakes, not least its confidence. Just a few lines into the opening track, an anguished affirmation called "Hold On", vocalist Brittany Howard tips a hat to "someone up above" who once helped her out of a jam with the admonishment "Come on, Brittany...
- www.uncut.co.uk
2012-04-19
★★★★★
It's understandable that the antennae of cynicism start twitching uncontrollably when usually reliable sources of musical opinion are moved to declare on their Facebook, "The ex-guitar player of Loop said on 6 Music this evening that this lot are the best band to come out of the USA since The Strokes...
- thequietus.com
2012-04-19
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