Love Letter to Jamie
Songs are stories that breathe life into past experiences and people, connecting us across space and time. Brittany Howard’s (Alabama Shakes, Thunderbitch, Bermuda Triangle) debut solo album Jamie gives texture, sound and dimension to her life. This experimental album is named after her late sister Jamie, who died of cancer at 13 (Howard was 8). The title memorializes the sister who introduced Brittany to poetry and music; however, it tells a story all her own, exploring her hometown, spirituality, life experiences and sexuality. As Howard told The New York Times, “this is not about nobody else. This is about myself.”
The first track “History Repeats” leads with layered drum lines and funky, Howard-esqe guitar riffs. The track feels like an experimental next step, picking up where Sound and Color left off. The call and response and repetition--hallmarks of Christian church sermons, which she weaves throughout--and unconventional arrangements take us through the story of Howard’s spirituality--her way.
“He Loves Me” samples recordings of Sunday sermons, as Howard creates space to define her spirituality outside of the church. “I know he still loves me when / I’m smoking blunts / loves me when I’m drinking too much.” Howard acknowledges the judgement that many of us feel and turns religious expectation on its head--a hallmark of a self-actualized woman rocking her truth.
Another standout, “Georgia,” explores what it’s like to be different. “It’s this little girl who has a crush on an older girl,” Howard told Hornet. “It’s so innocent. I’ve never heard a song like that, and I was really excited to write it.” It begins with a soft organ supporting Howard as she sings of anxieties that accompany a developing crush. As the song builds, she gains the confidence to profess her love and the organ melts into a driving synth, blending antiquity and the future into a single harmony.
On such a personal album, you can feel the power Howard harnesses as she exercises autonomy in telling her own stories. Each song is a sensory symphony, layered with puzzling drums and haunting organ--she’s making you feel what happened to her instead of telling you.
With Howard some time away from the Alabama Shakes to deepdive into sounds that are all her own, this album begs the question: where will she direct her artistic energy next? It seems she can do no wrong, especially when her raw honesty and self reflection comes in the form of pure sonic wonder.