Boys & Girls (album)

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This article is about the Alabama Shakes album. For the 1985 album by Bryan Ferry, see Boys and Girls (album).
Boys & Girls
Studio album by
Alabama Shakes
ReleasedApril 9, 2012 (2012-04-09)
Recorded2011
StudioThe Bomb Shelter
(Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre
Length36:12
LabelATO
Producer
Alabama Shakes chronology
Alabama Shakes
(2011) 		Boys & Girls
(2012) 		Sound & Color
(2015)
Singles from Boys & Girls
  1. "Hold On"
    Released: February 6, 2012

Boys & Girls is the debut studio album from American band Alabama Shakes. It was released on April 9, 2012, through ATO Records. The album peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 and number 3 on the UK Albums Chart. A tenth anniversary deluxe edition was released on December 9, 2022, including a bonus disc of the band's live performance at KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.[1]

Composition[edit]

With Boys & Girls, Alabama Shakes craft a musical fusion of blues and rock 'n' roll.[2] It also has roots in Southern soul,[3] yielding a "raw, grainy" take on the style.[4] The album also draws from hard rock and punk, working them alongside the band's "rootsy, passionate appeal".[5]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.0/10[6]
Metacritic76/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. ClubB−[8]
The Daily Telegraph[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Independent[4]
Los Angeles Times[11]
NME7/10[12]
Pitchfork7.8/10[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Spin7/10[15]

The album has been well received by critics. Gavin Haynes of NME gave Boys & Girls a positive review, stating, "In many ways Boys & Girls it is as note-perfect an album as you'll hear all year, yet it's also often perfectly inert. Their new bestie Jack White flagrantly copied vast chunks of the past, but in so doing he also stripped it down and rebuilt it in his own image. Despite their obviously vast talent, still less than a year after they first read about themselves on the internet, the stellar rise and rise of Alabama Shakes possibly hasn't afforded them quite enough time to find out who they really are."[12] Los Angeles Times also gave the album a positive review stating, "The Alabama Shakes’ first album, "Boys & Girls," is an electric jolt that anyone who loves blues-based rock music should track down immediately. Consisting of three men and one young explosion named Brittany Howard on vocals and guitar, the group, which formed in northern Alabama in 2009, offers stripped down truth, minus any affectation, histrionics or irony."[11]

The album was listed at #34 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012.[16]

Commercial performance[edit]

Boys & Girls debuted at number sixteen on the US Billboard 200. The album reached its peak at number six with 33,000 copies sold that week.[17] As of April 2015, the album has sold 744,000 copies in the US.[18]

On April 12, 2012 the album entered the Irish Albums Chart at number thirteen.[19] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number three,[20] and also topped the inaugural Official Record Store Chart.[21]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Alabama Shakes

No.TitleLength
1."Hold On"3:46
2."I Found You"2:59
3."Hang Loose"2:24
4."Rise to the Sun"3:08
5."You Ain't Alone"4:44
6."Goin' to the Party"1:45
7."Heartbreaker"3:47
8."Boys & Girls"3:25
9."Be Mine"4:14
10."I Ain't the Same"2:55
11."On Your Way"3:05
Total length:36:19
Platinum Edition bonus 7-inch vinyl[22]
No.TitleLength
12."Heavy Chevy"2:25
13."Pocket Change"2:25
14."Mama"1:34
Total length:42:43
Spotify edition[23]
No.TitleLength
12."Pocket Change"2:25
13."Heavy Chevy"2:25
Total length:41:09
Deluxe edition disc 1 bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Heavy Chevy"2:25
Total length:45:08
Deluxe edition disc 2 (live at KCRW)
No.TitleLength
1."Hang Loose"2:20
2."I Found You"3:22
3."Be Mine"4:05
4."I Ain't the Same"3:19
5."Mama"1:32
6."Goin' to the Party"1:50
7."Hold On"3:53
8."Boys & Girls"3:48
9."Always Alright"3:48
10."Rise to the Sun"3:07
11."Heavy Chevy"2:40
Total length:33:44

Personnel[edit]

Alabama Shakes:

Additional musicians:

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[51] Platinum 80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Gold 128,266[52]
United States (RIAA)[54] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Country Release date Format Label
United States 3 April 2012[55] Download ATO Records
United Kingdom 6 April 2012[56] Rough Trade Records
9 April 2012[57] CD
United States 10 April 2012[58] ATO Records

References[edit]

  1. ^ Strauss, Matthew (October 26, 2022). "Alabama Shakes Announce 10th Anniversary Reissue of Debut Album Boys & Girls". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  2. ^ Jonathan Kosakow (April 8, 2012). "Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Boys & Girls – Alabama Shakes". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Gill, Andy (April 11, 2012). "Album: Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls (Rough Trade)". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  5. ^ Eli Bernstein (April 10, 2012). "Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls - Paste". Paste. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  7. ^ "Reviews for Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes". Metacritic. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  8. ^ Greenwald, David (April 10, 2012). "Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  9. ^ Brown, Helen (April 5, 2012). "Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  10. ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 5, 2012). "Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls – review". The Guardian. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Roberts, Randall (April 10, 2012). "Album review: The Alabama Shakes' 'Boys & Girls'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Haynes, Gavin (April 5, 2012). "Alabama Shakes – 'Boys & Girls'". NME. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  13. ^ Maddux, Rachael (April 9, 2012). "Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  14. ^ Dolan, Jon (April 10, 2012). "Boys & Girls". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  15. ^ Farrar, Justin F. (April 9, 2012). "Alabama Shakes, 'Boys and Girls' (ATO Records)". Spin. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  16. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2012: Alabama Shakes, 'Boys Girls'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  17. ^ Caulfield, Keith (2013-02-27). "Mumford & Sons' 'Babel' No. 1 for Fifth Week on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  18. ^ Keith Claufield (April 29, 2015). "Alabama Shakes Scores Its First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. (Prometheus Global Media). Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Irish Albums Chart > Archive > Week Ending: April 12, 2012". GFK. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  20. ^ a b "Archive Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  21. ^ a b Kreisler, Laura (20 April 2012). "Official Record Store Chart Top 40 unveiled!". London: Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  22. ^ "BOYS & GIRLS PLATINUM ANNIVERSARY VINYL REISSUE!". alabamashakes.com. July 13, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  23. ^ "Boys & Girls - Alabama Shakes". Spotify. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  24. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Hung Medien.
  25. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls" (in German). Hung Medien.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls" (in French). Hung Medien.
  28. ^ "Alabama Shakes Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Hung Medien.
  30. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "Lescharts.com – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "Officialcharts.de – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  33. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Hung Medien.
  34. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Hung Medien.
  35. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Hung Medien.
  36. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Hung Medien.
  37. ^ "Alabama Shakes Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  38. ^ "Alabama Shakes Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
  39. ^ "Alabama Shakes Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  40. ^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  41. ^ Steffen Hung. "Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
  42. ^ "End of Year 2012" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  43. ^ "Billboard 200 – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
  44. ^ "Alabama Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
  45. ^ "Independent Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  46. ^ "Hot Rock Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
  47. ^ "Billboard 200 – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
  48. ^ "Alabama Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
  49. ^ "Independent Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  50. ^ "Hot Rock Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
  51. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Music Canada.
  52. ^ "Official Charts Analysis Josh Groban Scores first No 1 with 20,092 sales". Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  53. ^ "British album certifications – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". British Phonographic Industry.
  54. ^ "American album certifications – Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls". Recording Industry Association of America.
  55. ^ iTunes - Music - Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes Archived November 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. US
  56. ^ iTunes - Music - Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes. UK
  57. ^ "Boys & Girls: Alabama Shakes: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  58. ^ Boys & Girls. "Boys & Girls: Alabama Shakes: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
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