Brittany Howard has had a stratospheric career in the fifteen years since Alabama Shake’s 2009 debut: two critically acclaimed band albums, two equally acclaimed solo works, dozens of Grammys, and has shared the stage with the likes of Elton John and Paul McCartney.

But it’s not the accolades and Beatles collaborations that make Howard a rockstar: it’s her. And this is clearest on stage, as she commands fans' rapt attention through a packed set of her solo work, including every track from latest release “What Now”

While the album’s title may reflect Howard’s state of mind while writing the album mid-pandemic, it’s also a fitting sentiment for the audience. Each song, so different yet so essentially Brittany Howard, leaves the crowd restlessly excited for what could possibly come next. 

Opening the show with the layered gospel melodies and drum beats of “Earth Sign,” Howard makes the concert standard blue lighting and machine fog feel otherworldly, creating a strikingly ethereal persona on stage. Yet just as quickly as she builds that persona, she sheds it, embracing a 60s aura for “I Don’t.” Synthy and staccato “Red Flags,” an ode to the kind of deep infatuation that allows us to look past the worst in others with soaring vocals, segues into the smoother, trumpet-supported slide of “Samson” with a confident ease. Songs like “Prove it to You” and “What Now” shine as a dance-worthy pop tracks, but in the setlist they’re bracketed by heavy-hitter “Goat Head,” the careening “13th Century Metal” or the prideful and funky “Another Day.” 

There’s never a moment where the next move is easy to guess, but that is just another level to the concert’s enjoyment. Beyond Howard’s sheer vocal prowess, stage presence, and Prince-esque guitar solos, the Webster Hall show was a delicately painted image of a true artist at her very best.

You can’t help but feel lucky to be a part of it all, to be given the opportunity to see such talent in such an intimate setting. Howard is an icon of rock and soul music. And if for whatever reason you don’t know why, just check out a show on her current “What Now” Tour: you’ll see exactly why.

Article and Photo Gallery by Niamh Murphy