Jaime is 35 minutes of almost solely uninterrupted greatness.
What’s notable here is that everything that should be a risk is pulled off without missing a step. The process of writing this album was personal and intimate, but the end result is a confident, bold debut.
It’s an album which documents a fierce imagination at play; a truly invigorating piece of work that pushes her songwriting forward.
Drawing attention to society's weak spots through simple, strong storytelling, Jaime attempts to break the cycle, moving toward a better future.
Upon Jaime’s 1000th spin, it would still be possible to be surprised and affected by Howard’s virtuosity.
Happily, her quest for personal fulfilment doubles as a creative bloom as well, revealing new dimensions of her talent.
The exceptional solo debut from the Alabama Shakes singer-songwriter is a thrilling opus that pushes the boundaries of voice, sound, and soul to new extremes.
The album’s 11 songs are spontaneous, fluid and entirely indifferent to genre as they pour out of her like the torrential rains of an evening thunderstorm.
‘Jaime’ is arguably Howard’s most important work to date spiritually, let alone critically.
As you might expect, there’s plenty of heart in this record. Seizing the opportunity to tell her story on her own terms, the 30-year-old Alabama-born artist gets deeply personal on Jaime.
Jamie is a thrilling first step into her future.
A tumultuous mix of experimental jazz, psychedelic-infused guitar licks, and a vibrant array of warm tones seep through elements of bass guitar and synth – Jaime is sensational in its depiction of female sexuality, overcoming religious guilt and understanding comeuppance.
There’s no track on Jaime that is likely to make waves ... But what lovely ripples it makes.
Jamie is a giant leap forward: a testimony of liberation, creatively uncompromising but just as accessible as Howard's old music.
A wonderful solo debut takes in race, religion and boozy excess, all with searing lyricism.
There’s catharsis in confrontation, and although this is primarily an album spent in the depths of uncomfortable, emotional reflection, Jaime is a beautiful thing for it.
It’s a total departure, her kaleidoscopic mix of decades’ worth of R&B, hip-hop, blues, and gospel, steeped in trippy laptop sonics and deeply personal political urgency.
Howard's embrace of all the mess of life gives Jaime its sustenance. Her audacity is apparent upon the first listen, but subsequent spins are profound and nourishing.
The album cycles through various styles as Howard experiments with psychedelia, jazz forms, old gospel, neo-soul, and the spoken word format—all with stunning results.
Brittany Howard undergoes an eclectic reinvention on Jaime.
Despite its relatively brief 36 minute playing time, the disc’s concepts and sheer obliqueness makes it linger far longer as a bold declaration from a restlessly creative artist with plenty on her mind.
‘Jaime’ is named for a teenage sister (dead at 13) who taught Brittany Howard poetry and piano.
my favorite song is “13th Century Metal” which has the best flow Brittany has ever had. its spoken word energy is ablaze with thought provoking words.
history repeats time and again to create a chilling and hazy sense of déjà vu.
there are lots of redubs and overdubs and her and again.
the skill of voice is apparent through Brittany Howard; the frontwoman ... read more
Brittany Howard was like the ugly Duckling that turned into a beautiful swan.
Howard was too tall, too fat, too black, too white, too lesbian at a time when she herself still did not know it. The girl raised in a breakage in an Alabama village (the state that remained frozen somewhere between the Stone Age and the Copper Age), abandoned by her father shortly after the death of her older sister, Jaime, who died at the age of thirteen with a rare form of cancer and who just had time to teach ... read more
On the international stage, Alabama is mostly known for being insanely racist and loving incest, but for my music-loving ass at least I know the state for granting us the incredible southern rock/soul band Alabama Shakes. The frontwoman and primary songwriter for that group was one Brittany Howard, who began her solo career with this little record titled 'Jaime', named for her sister who died as a teen from cancer. Just that alone should give you an idea that this is a deeply personal record, ... read more
1 | History Repeats 3:05 | 74 |
2 | He Loves Me 2:32 | 78 |
3 | Georgia 3:18 | 79 |
4 | Stay High 3:12 | 84 |
5 | Tomorrow 3:14 | 62 |
6 | Short and Sweet 3:45 | 81 |
7 | 13th Century Metal 4:48 | 81 |
8 | Baby 2:27 | 76 |
9 | Goat Head 3:13 | 81 |
10 | Presence 2:47 | 69 |
11 | Run to Me 3:05 | 67 |
#1 | / | KCRW |
#1 | / | NPR Music |
#1 | / | The Wild Honey Pie |
#2 | / | The New York Times: Jon Pareles |
#5 | / | Vulture |
#6 | / | Entertainment Weekly |
#6 | / | Paste |
#7 | / | The Observer: Kitty Empire |
#8 | / | BBC Radio 6 Music |
#9 | / | The Young Folks |