Had to take a small break for a number of personal things including college visits and a funeral, but the truth is I would’ve needed a break, anyway. I started this review of What Now, the sophomore solo release from former Alabama Shakes guitarist/vocalist Brittany Howard almost a week ago and came to a realization: here is an album I love but can’t quite explain why (yet). It’s a thick, often murky, challenging album, not straight-forward at all and the more I listen the more I believe it’s this challenge, this refusal to play it simple, forcing the listener to really dig in if they want to “get it” that makes me fall hard for What Now. I don’t know if I’ll come closer to “understanding” with this review, but I’m gonna try.

That thick, syrupy production is apparent right off the bat with the opening number “Earth Sign”, Howard layering vocal after vocal in a plaintive cry to ask if there is someone out there. The music sloshes together funk, soul, R&B, and lo-fi trip hop beats into this psychedelic wash of sound. One of the things I’ve been picking up on more and more in music are those psychedelic and progressive moments, and I think there’s a case to be made that Howard and What Now are very much working in a progressive space, albeit one that isn’t usually classified or appreciated much by those who call themselves “prog nerds” (they’re wrong, BTW). “I Don’t” uses a classic 60s Motown vibe for a great overall Howard showcase: her guitar sparkles in quiet fills and runs, and it’s a telling example of just how strong and adept her songwriting is that she can effortlessly conform and then twist classic genres on their heads.

The title track is the single and it’s a driving rock/funk hybrid that sounds enormous on headphones. Massive hook in the chorus, with those words “Blame it on me” riding high over some great electronic and keyboard work. Super funky. Percussion leads the way with “Red Flags” and besides triggering me to think about my day job it’s a good example of the kind of left turn songs Howard churns out on the regular, shifting feel and subverting commercial prospects in favor of really exploring different sonic textures. There’s a bass line that creeps in as the song literally shudders and skips that initially frustrated me and then won me over in its inventiveness. It flows into “To Be Still” which could have been a simple torch song except nothing Brittany Howard does is simple. One listen to those guitar chords she’s using to anchor her vocal lines and this falls right into jazz territory, her voice mic’d super close. It’s a beautiful love song, yearning to be part of someone, something…that lonely introspection that’s a mark of the whole album. Oh, and did I mention the subtle shift from jazz to funk halfway through? Cause yeah…it works gangbusters.

Side B opens with the brief “Interlude” which excerpts a passage from Maya Angelou’s “A Brave and Startling Truth” before launching into the electro funk of “Another Day” yearning for a time where we escape closed and shackled mindsets. With its bounce and drive it’s one of the more accessible songs on What Now, but like everything Howard has been doing in her solo work a deeper listen yields rewards as you pick out so many little accents, like the crystal singing bowls that open and close so many of the songs and effortlessly move us to the trap/house beat that kicks off “Prove It To You”. That heavy processed bass sound is massive. Maybe this is the “club hit” of the album but there’s enough under the hood to continuously intrigue me, especially when it gets really heavy in the latter half. “Samson” brings back that meditative, soul-churning R&B vibe that I love so much – I know that’s a big part of my love for Brittany Howard, how she reaches back to some of the great jazz, funk and soul singers of the 60s and 70s but finds ways to excite the formulas with her own unique sonic perspective. Huge bonus points to the song’s trumpet solos at the end courtesy of Rod McGaha.

The last three tracks are some of my favorites. “Patience” evokes for me classic slow jams from Parliament/Funkadelic, sticking to classic form while injecting these small, weird funky notes throughout. The end has huge Prince vibes as well, something at least on this listen I didn’t really notice until now. “Power to Undo” starts innocuously until it explodes in some vicious riffing and guitar lines to a large blast from the drums. The vocals accuse “How could you?!” in a frenzy before sinking into a nasty fuzz-drenched guitar solo. It’s maybe the breakout guitar feature of What Now, and proof that in case you forgot Brittany Howard is a GREAT guitarist. Finally we end on “Every Color in Blue” and between the huge King Crimson influence in the opening guitar figure and the brass accents and synth work I’m more than comfortable classifying What Now and Brittany Howard as truly progressive in the best possible way.

Love this song, love this album.