What Now (Brittany Howard album)

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What Now
Studio album by
Brittany Howard
ReleasedFebruary 9, 2024 (2024-02-09)
Genre
Length38:21
LabelIsland
Producer
  • Brittany Howard
  • Shawn Everett
Brittany Howard chronology
Jaime (Reimagined)
(2021) 		What Now
(2024)
Singles from What Now
  1. "What Now"
    Released: October 13, 2023
  2. "Red Flags"
    Released: November 17, 2023
  3. "Prove It to You"
    Released: January 26, 2024
  4. "Power to Undo"
    Released: February 6, 2024

What Now is the second solo studio album from Brittany Howard. It was released on February 9, 2024, as her label debut on Island Records.

Background and promotion[edit]

On September 12, 2023, four years after the release of her debut Jaime, Co-CEO of Island Records Justin Eshak announced that Howard had signed with the label.[2] At the same time, Howard revealed that new music would be on its way and shared dates for her co-headlining tour with L'Rain and Becca Mancari.[3] Starting on November 6, the tour so far entails 14 dates through North America, with more to be announced.[4]

On October 13, Howard shared the news of an upcoming studio album and released the eponymous lead single.[5] Produced by Howard and Shawn Everett, the "funky title track" constitutes the "truest and bluest" song on the album with lyrics that "are brutal".[6] The song was released as a 7-inch in December, alongside a B-side titled "Meditation".[7] A promotion video was released on the same day and was directed by Danilo Parra.[8]

Three other songs where released to promote the album, in the run-up to its release. The second, "Red Flags", was released on November 19, 2023,[9] while the third, "Prove It to You", was announced by Howard, via Twitter in the following year, on January 26, 2024.[10] A fourth single, "Power to Undo", was released three days before the album, on February 6.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[11]
Metacritic88/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
DIY[13]
Mojo[14]
NME[15]
The Observer[16]
Pitchfork8.3/10[17]
Uncut9/10[18]

What Now received a score of 88 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on fourteen critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[1] AnyDecentMusic? characterized the critical consensus of 13 sources as an 8.0 out of 10[11]

Reviewing the album for Mojo, Grayson Haver Currin found that the album "captures Howard's joy – the joy that she finds in singing, in flitting through different forms, and in saying the difficult bits through brilliant song" as Howard "plunder[s] so many styles that it might instead be called What Next".[14] Uncut called it "a Jaime 2.0 likely to secure her status as an auteur in terms of both conception and execution" as "it's [a] bigger, freer-thinking and more dynamically audacious record".[18] In the NME, Thomas Smith proclaimed that, "Everything from psych-jazz, electro-funk, soulful house and the occasional rocker gets a look in here. In lesser hands it’s a right old mess, but not in Howard’s."[15]

Concluding the review for AllMusic, editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that, "Isolated songs may hint at Howard expanded emotional and musical palette, but What Now is a proper album, where each segment expands and interlocks, providing a whole that's greater than its separate parts."[12] Jessie Brown from DIY Magazine called the album, "Sonically sprawling ... yet also unafraid to find joy in simple pleasures" and declared, ‘WHAT NOW’ is a gem."[13] Writing for The Observer, Kitty Empire claimed, "It’s impossible to know what to praise the hardest: the delicate trumpet of Rod McGaha, Howard’s own guitar work or her bravura vocal performance on Every Color in Blue."[16]

In the review for Pitchfork, Claire Shaffer declared that, "Every song here, even the slow stuff, feels giant and propulsive—a grand celestial tour of rock and R&B, guided by one of the few singers and multi-instrumentalists with the range and intuition to pull it off." Going into detail, Shaffer described Howard's songwriting as, "construct[ing] narratives that start from an impressionistic fragment of a feeling—uncertainty, indignation, crushing desire—and lets the music take you the rest of the way."[17]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Brittany Howard, except where noted.

What Now track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Earth Sign"3:38
2."I Don't"3:22
3."What Now" (Howard, Taylor Ann Avis Bogner)3:46
4."Red Flags"4:27
5."To Be Still" (Howard, Brad Allen Williams)2:27
6."Interlude"0:38
7."Another Day"2:14
8."Prove It to You"3:20
9."Samson"5:17
10."Patience"3:16
11."Power to Undo"2:50
12."Every Color in Blue"3:06
Total length:38:21

Personnel[edit]

Musicians

  • Brittany Howard – vocals (all tracks), piano (track 1), guitar (2, 3, 5, 11, 12), keyboards (4, 7, 8), bass (10)
  • Nate Smith – drums (tracks 1–4, 7–12)
  • Zac Cockrell – bass (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7–12)
  • Lloyd Buchanan – keyboards (tracks 3, 8–11)
  • Paul Horton – keyboards (tracks 3, 9, 10), piano (12)
  • Brad Allen Williams – guitar (tracks 4, 5)
  • Rod McGaha – trumpet (tracks 9, 12)

Technical

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for What Now
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 75
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 45
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[21] 38
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[22] 33

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "What Now by Brittany Howard Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Garcia, Thania (September 12, 2023). "Brittany Howard Joins Island Records, Plots Headlining Tour Ahead of New Music". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Hussey, Allison (September 12, 2023). "Brittany Howard Signs to Island Records, Announces Tour Dates With L'Rain". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  4. ^ LaPierre, Megan (October 13, 2023). "Brittany Howard Expands North American Tour, Shares New Single "What Now"". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Anderson, Carys (October 13, 2023). "Brittany Howard Announces New Album What Now, Extends Tour Into 2024". Consequence. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Hatfield, Amanda (October 13, 2023). "Brittany Howard announces new LP & 2024 tour w/ Becca Mancari (watch "What Now" video)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Redfern, Mark (October 13, 2023). "Brittany Howard Announces New Album and Tour, Shares Video for Title Track "What Now"". Under the Radar. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "Brittany Howard - "What Now" - Youtube". October 13, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  9. ^ Stickler, Jon (November 20, 2023). "Brittany Howard Shares New Single Red Flags". Stereoboard. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "Brittany Howard on X". Twitter. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "What Now by Brittany Howard Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (February 9, 2024). "Brittany Howard – What Now Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Brown, Jessie (January 31, 2024). "Brittany Howard – What Now". DIY. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Currin, Grayson Haver (February 6, 2024). "Brittany Howard What Now Review: Ex-Alabama Shake returns with more flexibility, focus and potency". Mojo. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Smith, Thomas (February 8, 2024). "Brittany Howard – What Now review: thrillingly expansive and vibrant". NME. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (February 4, 2024). "Brittany Howard: What Now review – an outrageously great album". The Observer. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Shaffer, Claire. "Brittany Howard: What Now Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Brittany Howard – What Now". Uncut. February 2024. p. 20.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Brittany Howard – What Now" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  21. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  22. ^ "Brittany Howard Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
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