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Alabama Shakes
Michael Kiwanuka
Fox Theater
Oakland, CA
March 5, 2013
Alabama Shakes: Riding the Wave
Sometimes you are sitting there minding your own business, doing your
thing when a big wave comes along picks you up and drags you out to sea
whether you are ready or not. This was my impression after seeing
Alabama Shakes at the Fox Theater last night. AS is a talented group
with a charismatic singer who does a fairly good Janis Joplin impression. However, I got the sense that they are not
yet ready for the very large amount of acclaim that has already come their way
after just one album. They are still
finding their feet and yet the wave has already pulled them into the
ocean. Now, they just need to learn to
surf with several thousand people looking on each night at sold-out shows
across the country.
AS at times sounds like Janis Joplin singing Marvin Gaye songs and at
other times like Janis Joplin singing Bonnie Raitt or just like Janis
Joplin. They are clearly fans of JJ (though no one can really match the once in a generation talent of JJ). Still, the band has a very fun
Americana-roots sound that is reminiscent of many old school soul and R&B
luminaries. It’s not difficult to
understand where the enthusiasm for the band comes from. They sound fresh and familiar at the same
time. They also have some really good
musical chops. The songs are
well-crafted and place singer Brittany Howard’s unique voice at the
center of the music- which
has resulted in many awards, three Grammy nominations, and slots at the largest
music festivals including Bonnaroo, Isle of Wight, Outside Lands etc. It is no exaggeration to say that they
have been on top of a large wave that grew very quickly.
Their performance last night at the Fox seemed oddly perfunctory as if
they have been on the road for a bit too long and need a break. Still, it was quite a bit better than their
studio recordings- which always gives me hope for a new band. I felt that I was hearing a lot of unrealized
potential. Brittany does need to work on
her stage delivery to better connect with her adoring fans. She has a big and warm voice but seemed
almost nervous on stage. And though the
band can jam, they largely stuck to the studio score rather too closely. Nevertheless, the show was quite a lot of fun
and I will be happy to watch the band grow and will be looking for new albums
in the future. But, as the cliché goes,
only time will tell whether AS rises above the early adulation and rides the
wave or whether they will get sucked under.
Opening for A-Shakes was Michael Kiwanuka, a British soul singer, who
was limited to an acoustic set which made him sound more of a folk artist than
a soul artist. Kiwanuka is another major
rising star with plenty of acclaim having won the BBC Sound of 2012 award and having
been nominated for the Mercury Prize. His
acoustic set was a bit washed out by a crowd that was far more interested in
waiting for AS than enjoying MK’s offerings.
But he is definitely an artist to keep an eye on, like AS, he is going
places fast and I hope that he gets there.
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