Brittany Howard’s husky, powerful voice carries a set of heavy blues burners on Boys & Girls. She is capable of singing slowly and soulfully, thr... more

Brittany Howard’s husky, powerful voice carries a set of heavy blues burners on Boys & Girls. She is capable of singing slowly and soulfully, through chugging first single “Hold On,” as she is of crying to the heavens, as she does on the touching “You Ain’t Alone.” The band does a brilliant job of setting her up and getting out of the way, coming in when they need to, like when drummer Steve Johnson hammers hard on songs like “Heartbreaker” and especially the epic “Be Mine,” while guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell lay down tight grooves and supply ample Southern rock and soul licks.Boys & Girls is an impressive debut and only hints at the massive sounds Howard and co. will likely be making down the line.