Brittany Howard onstage in September 2023. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Her name is Brittany and she is funky. Athens native Brittany Howard dropped the lead single of her highly anticipated sophomore album last night, and it's a corker.
Titled "What Now," the track strikes a clever mix of organic and electronic, like some unearthed Chaka Khan/Fela Kuti/Prince Rogers Nelson collabo. Dancefloor beats, electro-gospel vox, raw guitar, nocturnal keyboards. Yeah, it's sticky.
Howard will premiere a music video for "What Now" at 10 a.m. on YouTube. By the looks of the trailer, the vid looks like it will be high-budget, classic MTV-style clip with a mix of sci-fi/fantasy and contemporary visuals.
Howard wrote the song during the pandemic, when the question "What now?" was in every head.
In a statement released on social media, she says, "I think it is a feeling that has continued to the present moment in the world we live in. It is also the title of the new album and I think when you hear it you will understand why I landed on that title...but more on that later."
As of publishing, Howard has yet to give a title or release date for her new album. The album is the follow-up to the ex-Alabama Shakes singer's Grammy-winning 2019 solo debut LP, "Jaime," which was named for her late older sister.
Howard also won Grammys with the Shakes, the Athens-founded rock and soul band that zoomed into zeitgeist with songs like "Hold On," "Don't Wanna Fight" and "Always Alright." After releasing two hit albums during the 2010s, Alabama Shakes went on hiatus as Howard launched a solo career.
Howard is playing an eight-date run of shows this fall. It kicks off with a Nov. 6 date at Iron City in Birmingham -- tickets start at $50 plus fees via ticketmaster.com.
