After more than a decade away, Brittany Howard’s influential rock band still has a knack for righteous, retro catharsis, but the signature moves can’t help but feel a little safe

Even at their most wide-ranging, the Shakes make it all sound effortlessly cool

After a long hiatus, the trio reunites for a shaggy psych-soul album, trading some of their rousing energy and ear-grabbing hooks for a looser, hazier sound

Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium and Blackbird Studios, it expands their familiar collision of rock, gospel, blues and soul with flute, harpsichord, sitar and densely layered vocal arrangements

An abundance of rich, cooling indie rock

On the group's first album in more than a decade, the Shakes sound like old friends exploring new sounds

The album’s sonic milieu is a fitting callback to another period of social upheaval

After such a long time away, I Must Be Dreaming feels organic and not forced in any way. This record is one that will happily sit alongside their prior work and Howard’s solo releases, a testament to their synergy and craft

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

Alabama Shakes could have never created an album like this if they’d simply carried on from where they were in 2015. They needed the time and space to grow, heal, and evolve before they could even consider getting back in a room again, let alone making a record

The trio’s long-awaited comeback is a paean to domestic bliss and a lament for Trump’s America, though it works better as the former

From musicianship to introspection, immersive production to well-timed political critiques, I Must Be Dreaming is the long-awaited Alabama Shakes follow-up fans have been dreaming of

The idea of a third Alabama Shakes album briefly felt like fantasy; I Must Be Dreaming works so well because it squares up to reality. Print edition only

The founding trio of vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell still have their old wily chemistry as they assemble thorny grooves from anything within reach. Print edition only