Clearly a musician's background shouldn't matter a jot when rating their output (requisite punk posh boy Joe Strummer is often rolled out as an example and here he is again - poor Joe), but when your drummer used to check radiation leaks at a nuclear power plant and your incredible singer used to be a postwoman, then it does tend to make your thrilling rock 'n' roll 'n' blues rather more authentic. And so it is with Alabama Shakes. Firstly they are actually from Alabama and not Surrey, which helps. And secondly Hold On is a rollicking, yearning blast of southern-fried faith in oneself ("Bless my heart, bless my soul, I didn't think I'd make it to 22 years old"), coupled with rolling, sunshine-speckled Americana riffs. An afternoon wake up call from the other side of the tracks.
Hold On by Alabama Shakes - listen on Spotify here.
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