Alabama Shakes Concert at Forest Hills Stadium
The voice of lead singer Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes is a miracle … a mash-up of the syncopated rhythms and abrupt tempo shifts of Buddy Holly, the power of Aretha Franklin, the soul-searching of Mahalia Jackson, and the fervor and raspiness of Janis Joplin. It is a disciplined, well-trained voice where the vocal line (legato) is maintained regardless of the vast array of pyrotechnics deployed by this unique artist. By way of comparison, the timbre and quality of Amy Winehouse’s voice remained recognizably the same in all 3 registers, but she had the knack of being able to color her voice to give meaning to the lyrics. Ms. Howard relies on a more instrumental approach in her vocalizing. Like the great opera singer Maria Callas she treats her voice as an instrument of the orchestra, albeit the primary instrument. At different times throughout this evening’s concert at Forest Hills Stadium, Ms. Howard mesmerized the crowd with an impressive array of vocal effects that imparted deep meaning to her lyrics. While she can color her tone with the best of them, that ability went hand in hand with her instrumental tones … was that an oboe, clarinet, flute? No, it was Ms. Howard in perfect sync with a band that fully understands what it means to accompany a great voice. At times I could not tell if a particular musical phrase was emanating from an actual instrument or Ms. Howard’s bronze-lined throat. Maria Callas would have been impressed.
