Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls | 10th Anniversary Cloudy Clear 2LP

Some debut albums sound like introductions. Boys & Girls sounds like Alabama Shakes had already skipped that part.

Originally released in 2012, Boys & Girls arrived with Brittany Howard's enormous voice out front and a band behind her playing soul, blues, rock, and whatever happened when nobody bothered drawing very careful lines between them. “Hold On” got most of the attention, understandably, but the rest of the record quickly established that this was considerably more than one very good song attached to ten others.

The 10th Anniversary Edition puts the original album on the first LP and an early 2012 KCRW performance on the second, recorded just before the rest of the world figured out what was happening. Hearing the studio record followed by the band playing these songs live at that exact moment is a pretty convincing argument for owning both.

The Details

• Alabama Shakes
• Boys & Girls
• 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
• 2LP
• Cloudy clear vinyl
• Original 2012 album
• Bonus 2012 Live at KCRW session
• 22 tracks total
• Foil-board gatefold jacket
• Features new photographs
• Originally released in 2012
• Anniversary edition released in 2022
• ATO Records