'Sound & Color' demonstrates the tremendous strides made by a group of young musicians who had only been playing together for a few months when they recorded their first album, the acclaimed 'Boys & Girls' (2012).

From the gently swaying, chiming title song to the garage-rock freak-out on "The Greatest" to the psychedelic space jam "Gemini," Alabama Shakes build on the soulful blues-rock base and map a surprising, innovative new direction.

"We took our time to write this record, and I'm really glad we did," says lead singer/guitarist Brittany Howard. "We were able to sit down and think about what's exciting to us. This record is full of genre-bending songs."

'Sound & Color' was recorded at Nashville's Sound Emporium studio. The band co-produced the album with young guitar wizard Blake Mills.

APRIL 2015 RYTHMETHOD