Brittany Howard, the lead vocalist/guitarist of rock band Alabama Shakes, has announced her debut solo record, Jaime, out September 20. In the statement she released on her social media platforms, Howard explained, “I wrote this record as a process of healing. Every song, I confront something within me or beyond me. Things that are hard or impossible to change, words and music to describe what I’m not good at conveying to those I love, or a name that hurts to be said: Jaime.”
Howard dedicates the record to her sister Jaime, who passed away as a teenager, saying, “I did this so her name would no longer bring me memories of sadness and as a way to thank her for passing on to me everything she loved: music, art, creativity.”
Howard wrote the album after a cross-country trip across America, where she was inspired both by the stories of others and her own. The first single, “History Repeats,” is a mix of the two. Of the song, she says it’s “as much a personal song as it is a song about us as a human species. Our times of success may propel us forward, but our repeating failures hold us back from evolving into harmony.” The song, like much of Alabama Shakes’ work, is insightful but still danceable, with a Prince-y guitar groove.
Listen to “History Repeats” above and find Howard’s 2019 North American tour dates on her website.
