Brittany Howard

GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter, guitarist, and singular vocalist Brittany Howard joins Norah, fresh off the release of Alabama Shakes’ new album and following two acclaimed solo records of her own.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.

• 0:04Speaker 01

  Granger knows, if you're a procurement manager at an industrial manufacturing facility, you're balancing inventory and budget while sourcing critical supplies across the operation. Too much inventory, costs climb. Too little, production slows. Granger's $2 billion in on-hand inventory helps you get what you need, when you need it, so you can help keep budgets balanced and lines moving. Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com, or just stop by. Granger, for the ones who get it done.

• 0:35Speaker 02

  Hey, I'm Niall Rogers. This fall, I'll be driving across the country, meeting some of today's coolest and most fascinating artists. We'll explore the stories before the moments that changed everything, because every musician remembers the moment where it all began. Experience Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series on the iHeart Radio app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 1:06Speaker 00

  This episode is also available as video on YouTube. You can visit Norah Jones' channel and be sure to subscribe while you're there. Hey, I'm Norah Jones, and today I'm playing along with Brittany Howard. I'm just playing along with you.

• 1:25Speaker 00

  I'm just playing along with you.

• 1:31Speaker 00

  Hi, I'm Nora. This is Sarah Oda.

• 1:33Speaker 03

  Welcome to our show. Today, we have Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, killer guitarist, and powerhouse vocalist, Brittany Howard. She's known as the lead singer and guitarist of Alabama Shakes. She's also built a solo career to very high acclaim with her albums, "Jamie" and "What Now," and she continues to make music that kind of stretches into every corner.

• 1:56Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 1:57Speaker 03

  Incredible to hear in a room like this.

• 1:59Speaker 00

  Yeah, it was really special to play with her. We've never got to play together before, so.

• 2:02Speaker 03

  I know. I'm so glad it finally happened.

• 2:04Speaker 00

  I know, me too.

• 2:06Speaker 03

  Also, recently, Alabama Shakes came together for their first tour in years, and their new album just dropped last week. It's called "I Must Be Dreaming," and it's incredible. You might hear some songs from it.

• 2:19Speaker 00

  It's so good.

• 2:20Speaker 03

  And also, look up where they're playing. If they're playing near you, make sure you go.

• 2:24Speaker 00

  They're just one of those bands that is always great live.

• 2:29Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 2:29Speaker 00

  They're just one of those special live bands that you should see now.

• 2:33Speaker 03

  Yes. See now.

• 2:35Speaker 00

  See now.

• 2:37Speaker 00

  I hope you enjoy this episode with Brittany Howard. There is some spicy language in this episode, so listener discretion is advised. It's not that bad, but just so you know, it's there.

• 2:56Speaker 04

  If you think you've got something,

• 3:03Speaker 04

  just waiting till you open up your hands.

• 3:11Speaker 04

  And all you're standing there left with

• 3:18Speaker 04

  is the what ifs and what should it be?

• 3:26Speaker 04

  Don't get too busy

• 3:33Speaker 04

  chasing all of your dreams.

• 3:41Speaker 04

  Don't think in winter

• 3:46Speaker 04

  that she'll be waiting come spring.

• 3:53Speaker 04

  If you don't want her, you got it, I will. If you don't show her you love her, I will. She means so much more to me than to you. All of your hard work I surely do.

• 4:27Speaker 04

  If you don't want her, you're gonna when you see her bloom.

• 4:53Speaker 04

  If you think you won't miss her,

• 5:03Speaker 04

  then why should you even care?

• 5:10Speaker 04

  If all you want to do is keep her,

• 5:15Speaker 04

  just to keep her,

• 5:19Speaker 04

  just so you have someone there.

• 5:27Speaker 04

  See, I saw your girl's side.

• 5:34Speaker 04

  She had that look I know all too well.

• 5:42Speaker 04

  So I thought I would warn you.

• 5:49Speaker 04

  She needs some tender loving care.

• 5:55Speaker 04

  If you don't want her, you got it, I will.

• 6:03Speaker 04

  If you don't show her you love her, I will. She means so much more to me than to you. All of your hard work I surely do.

• 6:30Speaker 04

  If you don't want her, you're gonna when you see her bloom.

• 6:56Speaker 04

  La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.

• 7:30Speaker 04

  If you don't want her, you're gonna

• 7:46Speaker 04

  if you don't want her, you're gonna

• 8:01Speaker 04

  if you don't want her, you're gonna

• 8:16Speaker 04

  if you don't want her, you're gonna when you see her bloom.

• 8:44Speaker 00

  I'm so excited to play with you, finally.

• 8:46Speaker 04

  I know, I feel the same way, actually.

• 8:48Speaker 00

  It's been forever.

• 8:49Speaker 04

  It's been forever, like, years.

• 8:51Speaker 00

  I know, I'm so excited.

• 8:52Speaker 04

  Has it been like five years?

• 8:53Speaker 00

  I don't know. I mean, just in general, I'm just a huge fan, so I'm excited.

• 8:57Speaker 04

  Girl, same.

• 8:58Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 8:59Speaker 04

  That's crazy.

• 8:59Speaker 00

  It's fun.

• 9:00Speaker 04

  It's crazy you saying that.

• 9:01Speaker 00

  No, totally.

• 9:02Speaker 04

  Just gotta drink that in.

• 9:03Speaker 00

  Please. It's sneaky, sexy, little, little bit of twisted in there. I love it.

• 9:12Speaker 04

  You know, I wanted to write a love song that was kind of different.

• 9:15Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 9:15Speaker 04

  And it's kind of like, don't wish for something if you ain't gonna take care of it.

• 9:18Speaker 00

  I think it's great.

• 9:19Speaker 04

  It's the moral of the story.

• 9:20Speaker 00

  It's a great story.

• 9:21Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 9:22Speaker 00

  That's right.

• 9:23Speaker 04

  That's right.

• 9:23Speaker 00

  Yeah, it's cool. The whole album is so good.

• 9:26Speaker 04

  Oh, thank you.

• 9:27Speaker 00

  Yeah, it's really beautiful.

• 9:28Speaker 04

  It means a lot coming from you, thank you.

• 9:29Speaker 00

  It's deep and it's, I feel like there's a lot of songs like that on there. And the grooves are just amazing.

• 9:37Speaker 04

  The bass lines are going crazy on this album.

• 9:39Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 9:40Speaker 04

  This is a bass central album.

• 9:42Speaker 00

  Yeah, it's awesome.

• 9:43Speaker 04

  It kind of like, a lot of the songs, not all of them, but a lot of the songs started from Zach Cockrell, our bassist. He was doing demos all this time over a span of years. And when I, when he would send them to me, I'd be like, oh my God, I know exactly what to do with this.

• 9:59Speaker 00

  That's great.

• 10:00Speaker 04

  Or I'd be delighted. I'd just be like, oh my God, Zach, this is so good, you know?

• 10:03Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 10:04Speaker 04

  Yeah, it just came really organically like that.

• 10:07Speaker 00

  Is that kind of how you guys, at this point, as a, as a long time band, at this point, are you all living in different places? Is that kind of how things come together now?

• 10:17Speaker 04

  I'd say we're all like an hour from each other, like a triangle.

• 10:20Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 10:21Speaker 04

  And, yeah. We kind of shoot music back and forth nowadays, more than we used to.

• 10:28Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 10:29Speaker 04

  Used to, we all lived in Athens, Alabama, so it was easy to ride over to each other's houses. But circumstances have changed, you know, we all have families, responsibilities.

• 10:36Speaker 00

  Yeah, things change, you know?

• 10:37Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 10:38Speaker 00

  Yeah, well, that's an easy way to do it, and it's fun if you can be, if you can do it that way.

• 10:43Speaker 04

  Yeah, and you know, things change, thank God, because I don't think that I would learn, grow, if there was no change happening in life. And I think we really find out who we are when change hits us. And the cool thing about this album is that we've all changed in a lot of really good ways. We're all much gentler people.

• 11:05Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 11:06Speaker 04

  Much more loving people who don't take things for granted. And not that we ever did, it's just we were young.

• 11:11Speaker 00

  Yeah, you were young.

• 11:12Speaker 04

  Yeah, younger, because I'm still young, you know?

• 11:15Speaker 00

  Yeah, you're still young.

• 11:16Speaker 04

  I'm still.

• 11:16Speaker 00

  Heck, yeah.

• 11:17Speaker 04

  So flexible, so limber, you know what I'm saying? And it was just so cool making this, and it was almost like reintroducing ourselves to each other.

• 11:27Speaker 00

  Yeah, because it had been about 10 years since your last album?

• 11:30Speaker 04

  Since Sound and Color.

• 11:31Speaker 00

  That's a long time.

• 11:32Speaker 04

  It is.

• 11:32Speaker 00

  I mean, you've been busy and been doing solo stuff, and everybody's, everybody's been doing stuff? Or, yeah?

• 11:39Speaker 04

  Yeah, Heath's put out a couple of albums. Zach, you know, he has a few projects that he's been working on. And then, you know, I had a few projects that I had put out in the interim. And it was just nice for everybody to kind of flex their creativity legs, you know?

• 11:54Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 11:54Speaker 04

  When people, and you know, journalists and fans would ask like, oh, when did Alabama shake? Are they ever gonna get back together? Like, did you quit? Like, are they done? And I'm just like, hey, guys, like, we're just taking a little break.

• 12:07Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 12:08Speaker 04

  To get to know ourselves and to get to enjoy the rewards of working hard. And the rewards of working hard is time. Like, you get to have time with your family and get to have time to explore. And that's just the way this job goes. It's a different kind of job. So, yeah, here we are. I always told everybody, when the time's right, when that creative head pops up, I'm gonna talk to the guys about it. And that's exactly what went down.

• 12:33Speaker 00

  Yeah, it has to kind of happen in your own way, organically.

• 12:37Speaker 04

  Yeah, I don't want anyone to ever feel forced.

• 12:40Speaker 00

  Exactly.

• 12:41Speaker 04

  And same with the music. I never wanted the music to feel forced.

• 12:44Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 12:45Speaker 04

  Just wanted to do it because we loved it and enjoyed it. And back then, we were working so hard, and working like there was no tomorrow. Because, you know, obviously tomorrow's not promised, but like, in this business, you could be hot one second and the next second you're not.

• 13:00Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 13:00Speaker 04

  And I just thought, well, I actually don't want to apply to those rules. Like, I would rather just do this because I love it.

• 13:06Speaker 00

  That's a way more fun way to do it.

• 13:08Speaker 04

  It's a, it's a much, I think it's a much better life that way. And I do intend to enjoy my life, and I do intend to enjoy what I do, for sure.

• 13:18Speaker 00

  Yeah, no, finding the balance is always sort of the trick.

• 13:21Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 13:22Speaker 00

  And you might never find it, but it's, it's fun trying.

• 13:25Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 13:26Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 13:26Speaker 04

  I just don't want to be one of those stories, it's like, and then Brittany got on hard drugs and crashed and burnt.

• 13:30Speaker 00

  Oh, gosh, no. No, you don't want that.

• 13:33Speaker 04

  No, I don't want that either.

• 13:34Speaker 00

  Nobody wants that.

• 13:35Speaker 04

  No, there is no E. True Hollywood story.

• 13:37Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 13:38Speaker 04

  Not right now, anyway.

• 13:39Speaker 00

  I, I saw you guys for the first time on Jules Holland.

• 13:42Speaker 04

  Oh, yeah.

• 13:42Speaker 00

  That was in 2012, we were on the same one.

• 13:46Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 13:47Speaker 00

  And we didn't speak, and I felt really bad afterward, because I'm always shy, it doesn't matter.

• 13:52Speaker 04

  I'm a little shy of myself.

• 13:52Speaker 00

  Yeah, it doesn't matter how successful I could be, or if I'm the older one, or what. Like, I'm always shy, so.

• 13:59Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 13:59Speaker 00

  But I always felt bad we didn't get to hang out.

• 14:01Speaker 04

  That's okay.

• 14:02Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 14:02Speaker 04

  Hello.

• 14:03Speaker 00

  Hello.

• 14:03Speaker 04

  See, we made up for it.

• 14:04Speaker 00

  We're making up for it.

• 14:05Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 14:06Speaker 00

  But it was great. That was, yeah, that was 2012. That's been, you've been doing this a long time.

• 14:12Speaker 04

  I guess so, yeah.

• 14:13Speaker 00

  With the band, I mean.

• 14:14Speaker 04

  Yeah, we've been doing this a long time. I've been, I've been making music since I was 11.

• 14:19Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 14:19Speaker 04

  I've been trying to be in a band since I was 11 years old.

• 14:22Speaker 00

  So how did that start?

• 14:23Speaker 04

  How did it start?

• 14:24Speaker 00

  Yeah, did you play guitar back then, sing?

• 14:26Speaker 04

  No, I didn't want to be a guitar player or a singer. I wanted to play the bass.

• 14:30Speaker 00

  Oh, cool.

• 14:31Speaker 04

  I wanted to be a bassist. But there was already a bassist in our school, and he was very good, Zach Cockrell. And so then I was like, all right, let me play guitar, I guess.

• 14:40Speaker 00

  So you started that young, with Zach?

• 14:43Speaker 04

  I met Zach, I started teaching myself how to play instruments when I was 11. So I played little keys, you know, drums. And then I played bass, and then I started to have to learn how to play guitar. And then I met Zach when I was 15.

• 14:57Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 14:57Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 14:58Speaker 00

  And you were in school together?

• 14:59Speaker 04

  Yes, we all went to the same high school.

• 15:00Speaker 00

  That's so cool.

• 15:01Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 15:02Speaker 00

  That's really sweet.

• 15:03Speaker 04

  East Slime's on high school, woo woo.

• 15:04Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 15:06Speaker 04

  Yeah, and, you know, it all began when I showed Zach one of my demos, which is like a horrifying, a horrifyingly vulnerable thing to do.

• 15:15Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 15:15Speaker 04

  In high school. I got this mixity of all these little demo songs I had made. I'm playing all the instruments, and, you know, I was just trying to get my songs out. And I needed a bass player, because remember, my end goal was to be in a band. That's what I was shooting for. So I was like, hey, Zach, you know, I see you wearing cool T-shirts. I remember I met him, he had an at-the-driving shirt, which, in our school at the time, nobody was listening to music like that. So I knew he was cool.

• 15:40Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 15:41Speaker 04

  And so, ah, yeah, Zach, you know, I got some songs, do you want to go to your car and like, check them out? He's like, yeah, we can do that, cool. So go to his little Honda Civic, and we're sitting in the school parking lot, and I'm playing him my demos. And he's like flipping through the songs on the CD player.

• 15:56Speaker 00

  Like he's skipping forward?

• 15:58Speaker 04

  He's like, listening to a little bit, skip.

• 15:59Speaker 00

  Oh, I hate that.

• 16:00Speaker 04

  I know.

• 16:01Speaker 00

  That's bad.

• 16:01Speaker 04

  I was like, oh my God, I'm melting. I'm like, this is going bad. And he's like, oh yeah, this stuff's cool, yeah, let's do it. And so we started getting together, like, if not every day, every other day. And we would just teach ourselves all different types of music. We would cover songs, we would try to write the most intricate prog rock progressions. Like, you have to have like, the memory of a computer to remember. And we just were, well, to put it short, like, we were just together trying to get good.

• 16:29Speaker 00

  Totally.

• 16:30Speaker 04

  Yeah, and eventually we met Heath, and Heath joined the band. And we were all real serious about writing songs, and we just started to play out until somebody discovered us.

• 16:40Speaker 00

  That's pretty awesome.

• 16:41Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 16:42Speaker 00

  Yeah, you go so deep with those guys.

• 16:44Speaker 04

  Oh, yeah, like, since childhood, basically.

• 16:46Speaker 00

  Yeah. That's really special, I think. If you're a music fan, I've got a new podcast you have to check out. It's called Before the Moment, a new series hosted by the legendary Nile Rodgers. You know him as the producer, songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder of Chic. But in this series, he's hitting the road to sit down with some of today's most fascinating artists. From hitmakers like Miguel to rising stars like Alex Warren, Nile explores the stories behind the careers, the songs, and the moments that changed everything. Because every artist can point to that turning point, the moment before the breakthrough, before the success, before everything changed. Through candid conversations and personal stories,

• 17:31Speaker 00

  you'll hear what happened before the moment that made them who they are today. Listen to Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series on the iHeartRadio app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 17:44Speaker 05

  Hey, it's Lunchbox from the Bobby Bones Show. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability, and it starts with a great deal on an all-wheel-drive Camry, Corolla Cross, or a Corolla Sedan with the latest features in tech. Or test drive a spacious Grand Highlander or an adventure-ready RAV4. And with so many hybrid models available, you can enjoy longer trips without all the stops. While Toyota's legendary resale value means you could get more at trade-in. Get a deal today and great value tomorrow. Shop toyota.com for deals and details. Toyota, let's go places.

• 18:22Speaker 06

  OnDeck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team, or bridging cash flow gaps, OnDeck's loans up to $400,000 help make it happen fast. Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of 5-star TrustPilot reviews, OnDeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes at ondeck.com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

• 18:51Speaker 00

  And you always sang from the beginning? That was always something for you?

• 18:57Speaker 04

  Yeah, I found myself singing.

• 18:58Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 18:59Speaker 04

  Which, I didn't know I had like a powerful voice until we started rehearsing with no P A. We didn't have a P A, we just had like this little practice amp. It was like the only extra thing we had. So we had like a quarter-inch microphone plugged into a practice amp. And then I found I couldn't, I wasn't loud enough. So I had to really lean into my voice to be heard over the drums. And then I was like, oh, I can sing like this, okay.

• 19:24Speaker 00

  That's funny.

• 19:25Speaker 04

  Yeah, and then I discovered that and just stuck with that, like, okay, I think I found my voice.

• 19:30Speaker 00

  Yeah, and you grew up singing when you were little, little?

• 19:33Speaker 04

  Yeah, we all did, yeah.

• 19:35Speaker 00

  Did you go to church choir or anything?

• 19:37Speaker 04

  No, I was too shy.

• 19:38Speaker 00

  You just, you just sang?

• 19:40Speaker 04

  I just sang, yeah. Me and my cousins sang. We sang all the hits of yesterday.

• 19:45Speaker 00

  That's fun.

• 19:47Speaker 04

  Well, back then, it was like TLC.

• 19:50Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 19:51Speaker 04

  And Destiny's Child and whatever was on the radio. My grandma liked Luther and Teddy Pendergrass and we would learn those songs for her. And we had like a microphone, uh, was it called Mr. Microphone? Little tape cassette. We had Mr. Microphone, we had a harmonica, and we had a five gallon bucket. And we started our band when we were little. And we thought we were gonna make it.

• 20:11Speaker 00

  That's great. I, I hope there's videos of that.

• 20:14Speaker 04

  No, there's no, we did not have a camcorder.

• 20:17Speaker 00

  Nobody.

• 20:18Speaker 04

  Nope, just memories.

• 20:19Speaker 00

  All right, well, good memories.

• 20:20Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 20:21Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 20:21Speaker 04

  Great memories.

• 20:22Speaker 00

  Well, you wanna try another song?

• 20:24Speaker 04

  Let's do it.

• 20:24Speaker 00

  Um, let's do another Alabama Shakes song.

• 20:27Speaker 04

  Cool.

• 20:28Speaker 00

  Did you ever take formal lessons or you just jammed with Zach?

• 20:32Speaker 04

  I just jammed with Zach.

• 20:33Speaker 00

  That's awesome.

• 20:34Speaker 04

  We just played, yes.

• 20:35Speaker 00

  I mean, that's, that's probably the best, the best way.

• 20:38Speaker 04

  Yeah, true high school garage band.

• 20:41Speaker 00

  Awesome.

• 20:44Speaker 04

  No, I, I wonder who I would be sometimes if I had the ability to take lessons.

• 20:49Speaker 00

  You know.

• 20:50Speaker 04

  Another lifetime.

• 20:51Speaker 00

  It all worked out.

• 20:52Speaker 04

  Sure it did. There's so much I still don't understand.

• 20:55Speaker 00

  Well, you could still take lessons if you want.

• 20:58Speaker 04

  That's true.

• 20:58Speaker 00

  That's the thing. I took lessons, I started taking lessons again, maybe like eight years ago.

• 21:03Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 21:04Speaker 00

  And I told myself I would keep doing it every few years to just sort of reignite something different. And I, I keep forgetting too, but I felt like I wrote a song from it, you know, and it was.

• 21:14Speaker 04

  That's cool.

• 21:14Speaker 00

  It was cool.

• 21:15Speaker 04

  I found, I found that like, whenever I don't know where to start, like especially when it's like that season to write music for an album. Learning something new, uh, always helps that spark.

• 21:27Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 21:28Speaker 04

  Cause like it's hard to just sit down and be like, hmm, what do I wanna write about? It does not work for me.

• 21:33Speaker 00

  No, I mean, I, that's not how I write at all. You have to be inspired by something.

• 21:39Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 21:40Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 21:40Speaker 04

  And.

• 21:41Speaker 00

  For me, it's usually other music, yeah.

• 21:43Speaker 04

  Really?

• 21:44Speaker 00

  Oh, yeah.

• 21:44Speaker 04

  It's not, it's not like that for me.

• 21:46Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 21:47Speaker 04

  It's, it's like movies can be inspiring. Or usually for me, it's like learning new software, like, like, um, a new, a new DAW.

• 21:57Speaker 00

  Like a recording thing?

• 21:58Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 21:59Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 21:59Speaker 04

  Like for my last album, I started learning how to use Reason. Have you ever used Reason?

• 22:04Speaker 00

  I don't, I'm tech ignorant.

• 22:06Speaker 04

  Oh, that's not.

• 22:07Speaker 00

  I'm not, no. But that's cool. I, I should get into it.

• 22:11Speaker 04

  Well, the whole reason was, whoa.

• 22:15Speaker 00

  Reason.

• 22:16Speaker 04

  The whole reason was because like, I was like, how's this thing work? Well, I need to make a song so I can like, figure out how it works. And then it's like boom, boom, boom, boom. And I was like, oh, okay, I guess I found a thing here. All right, one, two, three, two, two, three.

• 23:04Speaker 04

  So much is going on.

• 23:12Speaker 04

  But you can always come around.

• 23:20Speaker 04

  Why don't you sit with me for just a little while? Tell me what's on.

• 23:33Speaker 04

  Just give me all your love.

• 23:42Speaker 04

  Give me all you've got, baby.

• 23:49Speaker 04

  Give me all your love.

• 24:07Speaker 04

  So tell me what you wanna do.

• 24:15Speaker 04

  You say the world does not fit with you.

• 24:23Speaker 04

  So why don't you talk to me for just a little while? I can only try to make it right. You just give me all your love.

• 24:46Speaker 04

  Give me all you've got, baby.

• 24:53Speaker 04

  Give me all your love.

• 25:00Speaker 04

  Still my.

• 26:50Speaker 00

  That was awesome.

• 26:51Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 26:52Speaker 00

  Yeah. So I'm, I'm kinda overdue. I've never been to an Alabama Shakes show.

• 26:57Speaker 04

  Oh.

• 26:58Speaker 00

  I need to come.

• 26:59Speaker 04

  I think we're playing New York soon.

• 27:00Speaker 00

  Yeah, I wanna come.

• 27:01Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 27:02Speaker 00

  Do you, do you often stand and sing without an instrument in your hand?

• 27:06Speaker 04

  No.

• 27:07Speaker 00

  Never?

• 27:08Speaker 04

  No.

• 27:08Speaker 00

  It's too hard, right?

• 27:10Speaker 04

  Well, okay.

• 27:11Speaker 00

  Or you just wanna play?

• 27:12Speaker 04

  So like for the Shakes?

• 27:13Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 27:13Speaker 04

  I have to play like pretty much every song.

• 27:17Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 27:17Speaker 04

  Except for Be Mine, where I don't play anything. Um, for my own project, the Brittany Howard stuff, I don't really play that much. I'm free.

• 27:25Speaker 00

  Really?

• 27:26Speaker 04

  I'm running around.

• 27:26Speaker 00

  So do you like doing that though?

• 27:28Speaker 04

  Yes, it's so freeing.

• 27:29Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 27:29Speaker 04

  It's so fun.

• 27:30Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 27:30Speaker 04

  Cause you can like really interact with the audience a little bit more. You can cause a little bit more drama.

• 27:35Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 27:36Speaker 04

  I feel like with the guitar in my hands, I, I kinda have to stay put.

• 27:39Speaker 00

  And you have to stay pretty focused too, right? Cause you're playing.

• 27:42Speaker 04

  Definitely gotta stay focused, yes.

• 27:44Speaker 00

  That's how I feel. And I feel like the few times I've tried to just stand and sing, it's like I'm not, I'm not, uh, free enough yet to just enjoy it. I'm too self-conscious about what, what I'm supposed to do with my hands. I just have no idea what to do.

• 28:01Speaker 04

  You don't do anything with if you don't want to.

• 28:02Speaker 00

  Oh, I think that's the lesson somebody taught me was don't do anything.

• 28:06Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 28:07Speaker 00

  Like, don't just like fake it and do stuff to do stuff.

• 28:10Speaker 04

  Yeah, that'll be a little distracting.

• 28:12Speaker 00

  Yeah, exactly. So you feel totally free.

• 28:15Speaker 04

  Yeah, I don't even think about, I don't even think about my body. I don't even think about anything at all.

• 28:21Speaker 00

  You're just in it. That's, that's the way to be.

• 28:25Speaker 04

  Yeah, I just do my parts in the guitar. Which the thing is like with our music, everybody has like a part that's intricate to the overall container of the song. So it's like, I'm just like, let me hit them parts accurately. Cause if I fuck, I'm gonna fuck somebody else up. I don't know if I can customize it, okay?

• 28:42Speaker 00

  It's fine.

• 28:43Speaker 04

  Is this HBO?

• 28:44Speaker 00

  No, it's all good.

• 28:46Speaker 04

  Yeah, cool. Well, yeah, I'd say, I'd say I feel mostly free.

• 28:50Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 28:51Speaker 04

  Some of the gowns can be a little confining.

• 28:53Speaker 00

  They're awesome though. I've seen your, your gowns.

• 28:55Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 28:56Speaker 00

  They're badass. So cool. I mean, I feel like you're just like, just one of those people who commands the stage and it's, I, I admire that. It's really awesome. I wanna come see you.

• 29:07Speaker 04

  Please do.

• 29:08Speaker 00

  Yeah, I want to. I would love to. Were you playing in New York?

• 29:12Speaker 04

  Yeah, we're playing Radio City in New York.

• 29:14Speaker 00

  Have you played there before?

• 29:17Speaker 04

  No, I don't think we have played there before.

• 29:20Speaker 00

  It's a big room. It's gonna be awesome.

• 29:22Speaker 04

  Yeah, I'm excited. You know, I hear it's like a very popular place and famous.

• 29:27Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 29:28Speaker 04

  And I'm just excited to check it out, see what it's all about. And you know how when you go into a venue, they have all the posters on the wall? And you know, it shows everybody's played there before. I kind of like the surprise of going in and not knowing a little bit.

• 29:40Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 29:40Speaker 04

  So that I could take that moment to walk down those halls and be like, what?

• 29:44Speaker 00

  Just kind of enjoy it. Yeah.

• 29:45Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 29:45Speaker 00

  That's nice.

• 29:46Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 29:47Speaker 00

  And you're doing a full-on, full-on tour?

• 29:49Speaker 04

  It's full-on.

• 29:50Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 29:50Speaker 04

  Oh, for sure. Yeah.

• 29:52Speaker 00

  And how, is it all the original members? You've added people over the years? Have the Shakes, it's like expanded and gotten huge? Or like, how many people are on stage?

• 30:04Speaker 04

  I feel like when we put out Sound and Color, we added some elements musically that we wanted to actually perform. So we added two keyboard players, which have very different styles. We have organist Ben Tanner. And then on the keys, we have Paul Horton. And then we have three background singers. Because I like to layer my harmonies and things like that.

• 30:24Speaker 00

  I love your harmonies.

• 30:25Speaker 04

  Thank you very much. And so we have Sinek, Rita and Lloyd onstage. And we have a drummer. His name is Noah Bond. He's awesome. He's from Massachusetts.

• 30:36Speaker 00

  Cool.

• 30:37Speaker 04

  And yeah, so we expanded a bit. There's eight of us onstage. But I think it's totally necessary to do the music justice.

• 30:44Speaker 00

  Yeah, the new album especially. So there's so many cool things on it.

• 30:49Speaker 04

  Oh, thank you.

• 30:49Speaker 00

  Yeah, there's a lot of colors and I think it sounds amazing.

• 30:54Speaker 04

  Appreciate that.

• 30:54Speaker 00

  That's a band, that's a large band. Like, I've never had a band that big.

• 30:59Speaker 04

  Really?

• 30:59Speaker 00

  No, but I think, I also sing very quiet. So I want to be, I want it to be, I would be afraid of getting lost.

• 31:08Speaker 04

  Yeah. No, I mean, sometimes I can't hear myself, but I just pretend that I can.

• 31:15Speaker 00

  Yeah, exactly.

• 31:16Speaker 04

  And I just, it's nice sometimes to close my eyes up there and just listen to when everybody really locks in. And you're just like, I don't know.

• 31:25Speaker 00

  It must feel so good onstage. Like, so the vibrations, you know, from something that large and powerful. The sound, you know, just the sound alone is, it's all so special, you know? It's exciting.

• 31:40Speaker 04

  Yeah, you're right. It's, and you know, you get to stand in between everybody and just get like enveloped in everybody's gifts, especially when they lock in. Something really special. There's really nothing else like it. So I always feel very, very lucky up there to have a good, a great band to play with, to back me up while singing.

• 32:02Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 32:02Speaker 04

  Yeah. And we're just gonna take that on the road and do that all over the place.

• 32:06Speaker 00

  That's awesome. If you're a music fan, I've got a new podcast you have to check out. It's called Before the Moment, a new series hosted by the legendary Nile Rodgers. You know him as the producer, songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of Chic. But in this series, he's hitting the road to sit down with some of today's most fascinating artists. From hitmakers like Miguel to rising stars like Alex Warren, Nile explores the stories behind the careers, the songs and the moments that changed everything. Because every artist can point to that turning point, the moment before the breakthrough, before the success, before everything changed. Through candid conversations and personal stories,

• 32:48Speaker 00

  you'll hear what happened before the moment that made them who they are today. Listen to Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series on the iHeartRadio app, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 33:02Speaker 05

  This is Colin Cowherd from the Colin Cowherd Podcast. Buy smart, drive for less and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability. All starts with a great deal on an off-road ready Tacoma or a half-ton Tundra to a Toyota's most capable and longest-lasting trucks. Built on a reputation for quality and reliability, Toyota trucks are known for holding their value, which could mean big savings when it's time for your next Toyota. For a great deal today to a great value tomorrow. Shop toyota.com. Toyota, let's go places. OnDeck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team or bridging cash flow gaps, OnDeck's loans up to $400,000 make it happen fast. Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau

• 33:46Speaker 05

  and earning thousands of five-star TrustPilot reviews, OnDeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes at ondeck.com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

• 34:01Speaker 00

  So your solo album that you put out in, I guess that was 2019? The Jamie album?

• 34:08Speaker 04

  Jamie.

• 34:09Speaker 00

  God, I love that album.

• 34:10Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 34:10Speaker 00

  Yeah, it's so beautiful.

• 34:12Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 34:12Speaker 00

  And you play with one of my favorite drummers, Nate Smith.

• 34:15Speaker 04

  Yeah, Nate.

• 34:15Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 34:16Speaker 04

  I love Nate.

• 34:17Speaker 00

  He's great.

• 34:18Speaker 04

  Yes, he is.

• 34:18Speaker 00

  Yeah, he's great. And I like the lock you guys have. You know, it feels very specific to the two of you and really special.

• 34:30Speaker 04

  Yeah, you know, I've always felt this way about drums, drummers, playing with them. It's a symbiosis that I feel like is, is very paramount to the group.

• 34:42Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 34:43Speaker 04

  And I feel like it's so easy for me to lock in with Nate and for him to read my mind or any of my cues. He's always watching. And we're always just trying to reach that place. And meeting him for the first time when he walked in, you know, he's got a great personality. He's so funny. We just, we just locked in. And then playing the music, I didn't have to really tell him anything.

• 35:06Speaker 00

  Well, that's the best, right?

• 35:07Speaker 04

  Yeah, it is the best. It's what you want.

• 35:09Speaker 00

  It's what you want. I play with Brian Blade. He's my kind of, yeah, he's amazing. I feel like that with him.

• 35:15Speaker 04

  Yeah, it's a special thing.

• 35:17Speaker 00

  It is. And it's like, it's not even something that you can explain. It's almost like you, you lock in with each other and you almost just have the same sense of time or something. And it's not necessarily everyone else's sense of time.

• 35:31Speaker 04

  Right.

• 35:32Speaker 00

  Do you know what I mean? But when it's locked together, it just feels so good.

• 35:36Speaker 04

  Yeah, because everybody's following the drummer. And the drummer's following you.

• 35:40Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 35:41Speaker 04

  This is gonna keep everybody on the same page.

• 35:43Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 35:44Speaker 04

  It's just so important. It's such an important relationship in a band, not to be looked over. And you know, I had been following Nate for a while before I reached out to him to be a part of my first album, Jamie. And when he said yes, I was like, oh, shit.

• 36:03Speaker 04

  Let me write some songs.

• 36:04Speaker 00

  Yeah, exactly. Well, that's cool. Do you ever write with him in mind specifically? Like, oh, I know this part will be right in this section or?

• 36:13Speaker 04

  You know, for my second solo album, it's called What Now? I feel like I tried to write the hardest drum parts, like syncopated stuff.

• 36:25Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 36:25Speaker 04

  And I was like, Nate can do this, right?

• 36:27Speaker 00

  Oh, definitely.

• 36:28Speaker 04

  He walked in and did it in like literally a take. And I was like, oh, these weren't as hard as I thought they were.

• 36:33Speaker 00

  I thought you, you thought you were writing, giving him something.

• 36:36Speaker 04

  I thought I was giving him something difficult. But he just like scribbled, like this is like syncopated, crazy timing. And he just came in and listened to it. And then scribbled something on a tiny little rip of a paper. It wasn't even a full sheet. And he's like, okay, let's go. Went in and did it in one take. And I was like, man, whatever.

• 36:55Speaker 00

  Yeah, he's so good.

• 36:56Speaker 04

  He's the greatest.

• 36:57Speaker 00

  Yeah, he's amazing. And I wanted to do, this song is just, I love it so much. The song Stay High is such a good one.

• 37:04Speaker 04

  Thank you.

• 37:05Speaker 00

  And it's, you know, it's kind of like a little ditty, like a, like a sweet song, but it also, the groove is so heavy.

• 37:12Speaker 04

  It's the groove.

• 37:13Speaker 00

  It's so deep on this song.

• 37:16Speaker 04

  It really is.

• 37:17Speaker 00

  And it's not loud or anything, but it's just, it's a deep groove.

• 37:20Speaker 04

  It's locked in.

• 37:21Speaker 00

  It's so locked in. And it's, to me, it's kind of like the epitome of the two of you together. And I love it.

• 37:28Speaker 04

  I can tell you a funny fact about this song. So the drums that you're hearing in Stay High is played by chopsticks.

• 37:37Speaker 04

  Sean Everett, the engineer, had this idea. He's like, I want to make the drums sound really, really powerful. So I'm just gonna turn the mics up and give Nate a pair of chopsticks to play with. Nate Smith, you know,

• 37:52Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 37:53Speaker 04

  renowned drummer walks in and he's like, what's this?

• 37:56Speaker 00

  That's too funny.

• 37:57Speaker 04

  That's your kit, man. And yeah, it came out sounding super cool, super crispy.

• 38:01Speaker 00

  It sounds big.

• 38:02Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 38:03Speaker 00

  Now, were they disposable chopsticks or?

• 38:05Speaker 04

  Yeah, they were disposable. Yeah, they're just wooden disposable chopsticks.

• 38:09Speaker 00

  That's amazing.

• 38:22Speaker 04

  I already feel like doing it again, honey.

• 38:37Speaker 04

  Cause once you know, then you know, and you don't wanna go back to where it is that you come from, yeah.

• 38:49Speaker 04

  See, I just wanna stay high with you.

• 39:03Speaker 04

  Cause where I come from, everybody phones and walks around with that ugly thing on their face. And where I come from, we work hard and grind in a hustle all day.

• 39:27Speaker 07

  Yes, we do.

• 39:29Speaker 04

  Then comes the time, oh, there comes the time.

• 39:38Speaker 04

  A night where we get to play.

• 39:44Speaker 04

  And we're smiling, laughing, jumping, clapping, dancing, hollering, just feel great. I just wanna stay high with you.

• 40:10Speaker 04

  With you, baby, baby, baby.

• 40:19Speaker 04

  So don't question my state of mind. I'm feeling wonderful, just fine, thank you.

• 40:29Speaker 07

  Thank you.

• 40:32Speaker 04

  Everything is everything, and everything is beautiful.

• 40:38Speaker 07

  How did you get like that?

• 40:43Speaker 04

  See, all I do is keep it cool and don't worry about what everyone is doing. I already feel like doing it again, honey.

• 41:06Speaker 04

  I just wanna stay high, yeah. I just wanna stay high.

• 41:20Speaker 04

  I just wanna stay high.

• 41:27Speaker 04

  I just wanna stay high, yeah. I just wanna stay high with you.

• 41:48Speaker 04

  With you, baby, baby, baby.

• 41:59Speaker 00

  Yay.

• 42:00Speaker 04

  There we go.

• 42:01Speaker 00

  That was fun. I felt like I could do it.

• 42:04Speaker 04

  We did this.

• 42:04Speaker 00

  I could do it.

• 42:05Speaker 04

  We did this. We did this.

• 42:06Speaker 00

  Oh, thank you so much. That was so fun.

• 42:08Speaker 04

  Thank you so much.

• 42:09Speaker 00

  Thanks for coming here. I'm such a fan. I'm so glad we got to play together finally.

• 42:13Speaker 04

  Me too. Thank you so much for having me in the beautiful studio.

• 42:16Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 42:16Speaker 04

  This place is nice.

• 42:17Speaker 00

  Thank you. Anytime. You're welcome back.

• 42:19Speaker 04

  Okay.

• 42:20Speaker 00

  Um, yeah, hope to see you out on the road and, uh, yeah, I will see you soon.

• 42:24Speaker 04

  See you soon. Please do come to Radio City.

• 42:26Speaker 00

  Yeah, I want to.

• 42:27Speaker 04

  Be our guest. We'll put you down.

• 42:28Speaker 00

  It'll be so fun.

• 42:29Speaker 04

  You plus 10?

• 42:30Speaker 00

  Yeah, 10. That sounds right. That was great. Thanks for listening. She's special. Oh, perfect guest. Yes. If you want to know the songs we played in this episode, the first song was called "Garden" from the new Alabama Shakes album, "I Must Be Dreaming," which was just released in 2026.

• 42:49Speaker 00

  The second song we did was "Give Me All Your Love" from Alabama Shakes album, "Sound and Color," released in 2015. The third song we did was called "Stay High," which is from Brittany Howard's solo album, her first solo album, "Jamie," which was released in 2019. Special thanks to Brittany Howard for joining us today, and we'll be back next week with Don Was. Norah Jones is playing along as a production of iHeart Podcasts. I'm your host, Norah Jones. This episode was recorded by Matt Marinelli, mixed and mastering by Jamie Landry, photography by Sherwin Lenez, produced by Norah Jones and Sarah Oda, executive producers Aaron Juan Kaufman and Jordan Runtog, marketing lead Allison Cantor-Graeber.

• 43:40Speaker 04

  Hi, this is Mario Lopez from All Mario Lopez Daily Podcast. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability, and it starts with a great deal on an all-wheel-drive Camry, Corolla Cross, or a Corolla sedan with the latest features in tech. Or test drive a spacious Grand Highlander or adventure-ready RAV4. And with so many hybrid models available, you can enjoy longer trips without all the stops, while Toyota's legendary resale value means you could get more at traded. So get a great deal today and great value tomorrow. Shop toyota.com for deals and details. Toyota, let's go places.

• 44:16Speaker 00

  If you love music and great artist interviews, check out Before the Moment, hosted by Niall Rogers. This new series follows Niall as he travels across the country, talking with some of today's most fascinating artists about the moments that shaped their lives and careers. From hitmakers like Miguel to rising stars like Alex Warren, Niall explores the stories behind the careers, the songs, and the moments that changed everything. Because every musician remembers the point where everything changed, and this podcast tells the stories that came before it. Listen to Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series on iHeart Radio app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 44:50Speaker 04

  Small businesses are the pulse of every community. They bring people together, create opportunities, and drive growth. That's why Chase for Business helps small business owners like you by offering personalized guidance and digital tools that can help your business grow. With our guidance and your determination, you can take your business farther and help build a brighter future for your community. Learn more at chase.com/business. Chase for Business, make more of what's yours. The Chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., member FDIC. Copyright 2026 J.P. Morgan Chase & Company.

• 45:24Speaker 00

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.