Brittany Howard - Jaime
Critic Score
Based on 22 reviews
2019 Ratings: #53 / 805
Year End Rank: #14
User Score
Based on 617 ratings
2019 Rank: #263
Liked by 44 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
Consequence of Sound

Jaime is 35 minutes of almost solely uninterrupted greatness.

90
No Ripcord

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.

90
DIY

It’s an album which documents a fierce imagination at play; a truly invigorating piece of work that pushes her songwriting forward.

90
Exclaim!

Drawing attention to society's weak spots through simple, strong storytelling, Jaime attempts to break the cycle, moving toward a better future.

90
Spill Magazine

Upon Jaime’s 1000th spin, it would still be possible to be surprised and affected by Howard’s virtuosity.

90
Uncut

Happily, her quest for personal fulfilment doubles as a creative bloom as well, revealing new dimensions of her talent.

86
Pitchfork

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.

82
Paste

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.

80
Clash

‘Jaime’ is arguably Howard’s most important work to date spiritually, let alone critically.

80
Evening Standard

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.

80
Q Magazine

Jamie is a thrilling first step into her future.

80
Gigwise

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.

80
The Independent

There’s no track on Jaime that is likely to make waves ... But what lovely ripples it makes.

80
Mojo

Jamie is a giant leap forward: a testimony of liberation, creatively uncompromising but just as accessible as Howard's old music.

80
The Guardian

A wonderful solo debut takes in race, religion and boozy excess, all with searing lyricism.

80
Loud and Quiet

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.

80
Rolling Stone

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.

80
AllMusic

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.

75
Under the Radar

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.

70
The Needle Drop

Brittany Howard undergoes an eclectic reinvention on Jaime.

70
American Songwriter

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.

JacksonLerner
83

‘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

WhatTheFunk
NR

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

Tielur
55

Plays out more like a really sloppy diary than an album, unfortunately

74

Highs and lows, but mostly highs. Always a fun listen regardless.

cardinal
75

既触及根源也有前卫,声音在Funk/Soul中游走的收放自如。✂️:History Repeats / Georgia

CrocodileDippy
72

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

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Added on: June 25, 2019