Boys & Girls (album)
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Boys & Girls is the debut studio album from American rock band Alabama Shakes. It was released on April 9, 2012. The album peaked to number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number 3 on the UK Albums Chart.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Slant Magazine |   [1] |
| The Music Service |   [2] |
| Paste Magazine | (8.6/10)[3] |
Critical reception
The album has been well received by critics. Gavin Haynes of NME gave Boys & Girls a positive review stating, "It could do with more of that. In many ways Boys & Girls it is as note-perfect an album as you'll hear all year, yet it's also often perfectly inert. Their new bessie Jack White flagrantly copied vast chunks of the past, but in so doing he also stripped it down and rebuilt it in his own image. Despite their obviously vast talent, still less than a year after they first read about themselves on the internet, the stellar rise and rise of Alabama Shakes possibly hasn't afforded them quite enough time to find out who they really are."[4] Los Angeles Times also gave the album a positive review stating, "The Alabama Shakes’ first album, "Boys & Girls," is an electric jolt that anyone who loves blues-based rock music should track down immediately. Consisting of three men and one young explosion named Brittany Howard on vocals and guitar, the group, which formed in northern Alabama in 2009, offers stripped down truth, minus any affectation, histrionics or irony."[5]
Commercial performance
The album debuted in the United States at number sixteen on the Billboard 200. On April 12, 2012 the album entered the Irish Albums Chart at number thirteen.[6] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number three,[7] and was the inaugural number one on the Official Record Store Chart.[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hold On" | 3:46 |
| 2. | "I Found You" | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Hang Loose" | 2:24 |
| 4. | "Rise to the Sun" | 3:08 |
| 5. | "You Ain't Alone" | 4:44 |
| 6. | "Goin' to the Party" | 1:45 |
| 7. | "Heartbreaker" | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Boys & Girls" | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Be Mine" | 4:14 |
| 10. | "I Ain't the Same" | 2:55 |
| 11. | "On Your Way" | 3:05 |
| 12. | "Heavy Chevy (Bonus Track)" | 2:25 |
Personnel
Alabama Shakes
- Zac Cockrell - bass, backing vocals, guitar
- Heath Fogg - guitar, backing vocals, percussion
- Brittany Howard - vocals, guitar, piano, percussion
- Steve Johnson - drums, percussion, backing vocals
Additional Musicians
- Paul Horton - Farfisa & Rhodes on "Rise To The Sun", piano & organ on "I Ain't The Same"
- Micah Hulscher - piano & organ on "I Found You" & "Hang Loose"
- Mitch Jones - organ on "Heartbreaker"
- Ben Tanner - piano & organ on "Be Mine"
Chart performance
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[9] | 20 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[10] | 10 |
| Irish Albums Chart[6] | 5 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[11] | 34 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[12] | 65 |
| UK Albums Chart[7] | 3 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 8 |
| US Rock Albums[13] | 3 |
| US Alternative Albums[13] | 2 |
| UK Official Record Store Chart[8] | 1 |
Release history
| Country | Release date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3 April 2012[14] | Download | ATO Records |
| United Kingdom | 6 April 2012[15] | Rough Trade Records | |
| 9 April 2012[16] | CD | ||
| United States | 10 April 2012[17] | ATO Records |
References
- ^ "Slant review".
- ^ "Music Service - Albama Shakes: Boys & Girls review".
- ^ "Alabama Shakes:Boys & Girls". Paste Magazine. 2012-04-10.
- ^ "NME Album Reviews - Alabama Shakes - 'Boys & Girls'". Nme.Com. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ^ April 10, 2012 (2012-04-10). "Album review: The Alabama Shakes' 'Boys & Girls' - latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
{{cite web}}: Text " 5:00 am" ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Irish Albums Chart > Archive > Week Ending: April 12, 2012". GFK.
- ^ a b "Archive Chart". UK Albums Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
- ^ a b Kreisler, Laura (20 April 2012). "Official Record Store Chart Top 40 unveiled!". London: Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ^ "Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls". www.ultratop.be/nl/.
- ^ "Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls". dutchcharts.nl/.
- ^ "Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls". swedishcharts.com/.
- ^ "Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls". hitparade.ch/.
- ^ a b c Boys & Girls - Alabama Shakes | Billboard.com
- ^ iTunes - Music - Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes. US
- ^ iTunes - Music - Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes. UK
- ^ "Boys & Girls: Alabama Shakes: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ^ Boys & Girls. "Boys & Girls: Alabama Shakes: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)