“I already feel like doing it again, honey.”
Those were the opening lines of what would become one of my favorite songs of all time: “Stay High” by Brittany
Howard. A multi-talented musician, Howard first rose to prominence in her band Alabama Shakes. Four Grammy
Awards in, she decided to pursue her own solo project, exploring a softer and more intimate sound than Alabama Shakes’s urgent emotional sound and lyrical immediacy.
With my first introduction into her new sound — with “Stay High” — from the very first notes, the sparkly accents, the bass, I fell in love. I watched as Terry Cruz drove around with a huge smile on his face, singing along. I proceeded to then watch way too many videos of Howard singing live and acoustic, trying to figure out how she does it; and by it, I mean reaching out and changing my insides by singing a single word.