Review Summary: I'm building a kingdom, in my soul
Most bands don’t win multiple Emmy Awards and then promptly walk away from the game for almost an entire decade – but then again, most bands aren’t Alabama Shakes. Led by virtuoso Brittany Howard – an all-time vocal talent with tremendous power and range – the group released two albums in a span of four years, with 2015’s
Color & Sound garnering universal acclaim while leaving listeners everywhere wanting more. Given Howard’s subsequent solo success, it would have been plausible to assume that Alabama Shakes were merely a flash in the pan – one of those
the brightest stars burn the fastest situations where their short, superb discography would be forever revered. Alabama Shakes hosted a surprise reunion of the band at an intimate show in Tuscaloosa, however, and the rest as they say is history. We’re here in 2026 with new Alabama Shakes – just their third LP – and it just might be the most impressive thing they’ve ever done.
I Must Be Dreaming is the sort of album that shakes foundations. Whether it’s expressing love in ways that feel both new and timeless, calling for peace through courage, or pleading with America to take a hard look in the mirror,
I Must Be Dreaming leaves a lasting imprint. Brittany Howard sings and writes with a grace that elevates her work here above that of your typical protest album. “If I had an army, I'd march them back home” she sings on the slinking, impeccably groove-laden opener ‘Tea Time’, “...where the fires first burned let flowers grow.” War may be more prevalent in 2026 than at any other time since the second world war, but it’s nothing new – and Howard’s stance invites listeners into that perpetual timeline, while illuminating what could be: “Battles are won not in blood, but with courage to say ‘no more’ / With wisdom to turn shields to mirrors.” As the bass pounds emphatically to Howard’s poetry, it’s not difficult to imagine ‘Tea Time’ being played at a city-wide protest – or playing in the head of a front-line soldier in a trench somewhere in Ukraine. It’s incredibly heartfelt and compelling, just like all of
I Must Be Dreaming. As we delve deeper into the record, it’s an album title that comes alive with purpose the more you digest the music.
‘I Feel Hope Coming’ is possibly the boldest and most inspiring of the album’s songs, diving headfirst into wage inadequacy, strongman politics, and class wars. “It's gonna take more than prayers to change this place”, Howard sings atop an ethereal backdrop that feels almost like Tame Impala circa
The Slow Rush, adding in stellar one-liners like “Make us work, but they can't pay us / I want to work so they can't play us” and “I don't want your martial law, I want clean air / I don't want no enemies that ain't even there.” The atmosphere is utterly sublime, and is scored by gentle, melodic keys that only highlight just how towering Brittany’s vocal range is. The song winds down with a spine-tingling “Whatever's coming, let it come”, and suddenly a song that initially felt imbued with optimism suddenly feels a little more sinister – like, is hope really what’s coming, or have we resigned ourselves to a “too late” fate? The penultimate ‘American Dream’ feels like the thematic epicenter of
I Must Be Dreaming, with Howard equating the present “American dream” to that of a nightmare: “Got the EPA, sure is hot today / Low-grade fever, lower-wage people / How many folks got shot this week? / Mm, it's enough to make you wanna go back to sleep.” The post-chorus – a simple repetition of “What are we doing?” – feels like Alabama Shakes’ ‘What’s Going On?’ applied to modern times. It’s the least subtle of the writing here, where Howard is typically quite symbolic and poetic – but in some ways the bluntness makes ‘American Dream’ all the more effective.
Alabama Shakes’ latest release isn’t simply drowned in political idealism, though. As immediately as the second track, we’re given a remarkably poignant soul-rocker that expresses heartbreak in ways that you don’t just hear, you
feel: “I found a way to say goodbye, so it doesn't hurt so much when you cross my mind”, Howard belts out with a pain only her vocal power could muster, eventually conceding “When I hurt you, I hurt myself.” Heath Fogg contributes a blazing electric guitar solo that only further engulfs the song in Howard’s turmoil, and when you take it all in together, you have one of the most emotionally piercing tracks in Alabama Shakes’ catalog. It only gets better on ‘Time’, a track that accurately summarizes what it’s like to be so in love with someone that the only thing that matters is having more of them: “When you have someone you love, all you want is time.” The line is a double-edged sword, however, with the less desirable meaning (slowly losing a loved one) ringing equally true. It’s the kind of ingenious songwriting that only Alabama Shakes could muster, and between Fogg’s eloquent guitars and Howard’s rich, soaring vocals, ‘Time’ becomes an immediate classic. Perhaps the most musically impressive love song on
I Must Be Dreaming comes via ‘How Love’s Supposed to Go’ – a track with a rich and complex bassline courtesy of Zac Cockrell and absolutely blistering riffs from Fogg. Amid the musical maelstrom, Howard’s voice shines through (as it always seems to) with a message of unwavering commitment: “If you only knew how easy it is to love you / As easy as breathing in.” For as much as Alabama Shakes sing of war and socio-politics on this record,
I Must Be Dreaming doesn’t have to be a statement of disillusionment at the state of the world – it’s also a soul-baring ode to the weightless, dreamlike feeling of kinship and devotion.
I Must Be Dreaming resides at the intersection of love and war. Somehow, it feels like the greatest modern romantic album and the best protest record wrapped into one rock-driven, soul-guided experience overflowing with insane grooves and rhythm. This may only be Alabama Shakes’ third full-length album, but they’re no rookies when it comes to crafting earth-shattering albums that will make you re-assess the pillars of society. They’re very much still the movers and shakers in that sense, and
I Must Be Dreaming feels like their most unified and wholly affecting release to-date. If you thought
Sound & Color seemed a tad uneven amid its major hits, or that
Boys & Girls lacked a little bit of the underlying ambition that this band came to be known for, then this record is where it all finally comes together. Part of being a truly great and influential band is knowing when you have something worth saying. It’s clear that after 2015’s
Color & Sound, the members of this group felt that a lengthy hiatus was needed. What’s even clearer is that the time away was good for all of them, and that in the last decade they’ve gathered a lot of new perspective – and ideas. Have you ever looked back at all the most revered protest albums of the world’s defining moments, and wondered both what that was like and also where on earth that kind of passion is in today’s music industry? Here, you have a chance to live it in real time. With
I Must Be Dreaming, Alabama Shakes have stepped into the pantheon of soul-rock greats, and they couldn’t be doing so at a more important time in history.
There's no going back
Wherever that was
I'm tied to your horse
I'm tied to you
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