Artist:Brittany Howard
Song:Stay High
Album:Jaime
Fans of the band Alabama Shakes will want to check out the 2019 debut solo album from that band's lead singer Brittany Howard. She's a major talent but I don't think she is a mainstream artist. I would say she is an album and touring act. She was born Oct. 2, 1988 in Athens, AL which is a suburb of Huntsville. Her father is black and her mother is white. The family lived in a junkyard which burned down after a lightning strike. She learned to write poetry and play piano from her older sister Jaime who died from the rare cancer of the eye retinoblastoma in 1998. Brittany suffered the same affliction and she is partially blind in one eye. After her parents separated, Brittany learned to play guitar and began to write songs. She met bassist Zac Cockrell in high school and they would form Alabama Shakes. Brittany was lead singer, lead guitarist and main songwriter. The band was very successful as an album and touring act from 2012 to 2018. They went on hiatus and Brittany released the 2019 album Jaime dedicated to her late sister. The album was on Alabama Shakes' label ATO. I don't think she signed a solo deal. The album was highly acclaimed and reached #13 on the Billboard 200. The single Stay High topped the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. Actor Terry Crews appears in the video. Stay High won a Grammy for Best Rock Song. Brittany wrote and produced and played all the instruments except for Zac Cockrell on bass and and jazz drummer Nate Smith. Robert Glasper appeared on a few tracks. The album is available on CD. For the 2023 album What Now, Brittany signed with Island Records. Again, she wrote and produced with Shawn Everett who had worked with Alabama Shakes. But the album did not do as well. And that's the problem with going to a larger label. Sales expectations are higher. And when they aren't met, Island will want her to compromise. Then what? I understand she's getting more money at Island. But she should have stayed at ATO as they know how to market her. We'll see how things go. I'm a big fan so I'll keep an eye on her. Here's the video for Stay High by Brittany Howard.
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