Eleven years is a pretty long time to wait for an Alabama Shakes record, but here we are.
Alabama Shakes have finally returned with album number three, I Must Be Dreaming, marking their first full-length since 2015’s excellent Sound & Color.
The 11-track record reunites Brittany Howard, Heath Fogg and Zac Cockrell, with Alabama Shakes once again working alongside longtime collaborator Shawn Everett. It was recorded across Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios and Blackbird Studio.
And thankfully, they haven’t spent the past decade figuring out how to recreate the first two albums.
I Must Be Dreaming pushes further into the psychedelic soul and stranger corners Alabama Shakes started exploring on Sound & Color, moving between rock, soul and R&B without losing the thing that made the band so bloody good in the first place: Howard’s voice sitting right at the centre of it all.
The album includes previously released singles ‘American Dream’, ‘Another Life’ and ‘I Feel Hope Coming’, alongside new cuts including ‘Tea Time’, ‘Garden’, ‘Friends’, ‘Easy’ and ‘Waist Deep’.
Howard has said the album’s title works in two directions. There’s the feeling of looking around at how completely cooked the world can seem, but also the other side of it – those moments where things are beautiful enough to feel slightly unreal.
It’s a pretty fitting place for Alabama Shakes to return.
The comeback itself wasn’t particularly planned either. The group reunited for a surprise performance in late 2024 after years apart, with what started as rehearsals for a live show eventually turning into new music.
During that time, Howard released two acclaimed solo albums, Jaime and What Now, while Alabama Shakes largely remained dormant.
Now they’re properly back.
I Must Be Dreaming is out now via Island Records. Stream it below.
