Comes on sky blue vinyl.
Re-emerging more than a decade later, the core trio of Brittany Howard, Heath Fogg, and Zac Cockrell hasn’t just picked up the pieces; they’ve forged a richer, deeply atmospheric third act.
I Must Be Dreaming is a sweeping, psychedelic-soul odyssey that captures a band older, wiser, and entirely unconcerned with repeating their past triumphs. Rejoining forces with six-time Grammy-winning producer Shawn Everett at Nashville’s Sound Emporium and Blackbird Studio, the group expands on the cosmic experimentation of their previous record. Where early Shakes tracks relied on explosive, gut-punching Southern soul and Howard’s signature volcanic rasp, I Must Be Dreaming trades raw fury for space, texture, and a surprisingly supple falsetto. The album sits right at the intersection of hope and surreal modern anxiety, living up to a title Howard describes as a double-edged sword: disbelief at a broken world, paired with awe at how beautiful life can still be.
I Must Be Dreaming isn’t an album that demands your attention through sheer volume—it commands it through warmth, curiosity, and world-building. Heath Fogg’s guitars drift effortlessly between jagged funk riffs and ambient haze, while Everett’s maximalist production fills every corner of the stereo field with lingering studio magic. Eleven years is a long time to keep fans waiting, but Alabama Shakes return with a work that feels necessary. It is a gorgeous, restless, and profoundly human record about finding peace without turning a blind eye to the world’s chaos.
