Jaime (album)


Jaime is the debut solo studio album from Brittany Howard, released on September 20, 2019 via ATO Records. It has received acclaim from critics.
The album opener "History Repeats" received two nominations at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance

Recording and release

The album is the first solo work from Howard, who has previously recorded with Alabama Shakes. It is dedicated to her sister Jaime, who died of retinoblastoma as a teen. Howard put Alabama Shakes on hold to pursue side projects and to have complete control over the recording of Jaime in 2018. After taking a long road trip, she reflected on her life as her 30th birthday approached and decided to record an album that explored her personal history and beliefs.
The release was accompanied by three singles: "History Repeats" on June 25, 2019, "Stay High" on June 16, 2019, and "He Loves Me" on January 20, 2020. "He Loves Me" was first released as a promotional single on August 14, 2019.
Howard also embarked on her first solo tour in promotion of the album. On the road, she and her backing band eschewed Alabama Shakes songs and only performed works from this album and her other bands.
characterized the critical consensus of 19 sources as an 8.2 out of 10 and Album of the Year gave it an 83 out of 100, with 18 reviews. Steven Hyden of Uproxx has praised the album for its differences from Howard's previous work and genre-bending mix of funk, jazz, and hip-hop. In Rolling Stone, Jon Dolan gave the album four out of five stars, highlighting the Southern culture elements of the lyrics and summing up that her lyrics in "Georgia" make a "strikingly bold moment on a record that's full of them". Pitchfork awarded Jaime the distinction of "Best New Music", with Sheldon Pearce scoring the album an 8.6 out of 10 and describing it as a "thrilling opus that pushes the boundaries of voice, sound, and soul to new extremes". The Guardians Ben Beaumont-Thomas gave the release four out of five stars, calling it "emotionally as well as musically varied" and finishing by stating that solo projects "are rarely as beautiful as they are here". In Under the Radar, Celine Teo-Blockey gave the album 7.5 out of 10, calling her cross-genre experimentation "stunning results". Editors at AllMusic gave the release four out of five stars with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing the album has high repeat listening value, calling "subsequent spins... profound and nourishing".

Accolades

Both "13th Century Metal" and "Stay High" were included on Pitchfork's list of the best songs of 2019, placing at number 98 and 42 respectively.
PublicationAccoladeRank
The A.V. ClubThe 20 Best Albums of 201911
BillboardThe 50 Best Albums of 201917
ClashClash Albums of the Year 201939
Consequence of SoundTop 50 Albums of 201919
Entertainment WeeklyThe Best Albums of 20196
Exclaim!20 Best Pop and Rock Albums of 201913
The GuardianThe 50 Best Albums of 201932
The New York TimesBest Albums of 20192
PasteThe 34 Best Albums of 20196
PitchforkThe 50 Best Albums of 201912
Rolling StoneThe 50 Best Albums of 201915
SlateThe Best Albums of 2019—
SlantThe 25 Best of Albums of 201924
StereogumThe 50 Best Albums of 201945
UproxxThe Best Albums of 201923
ViceThe 100 Best Albums of 201979

Track listing

  1. "History Repeats" – 3:05
  2. "He Loves Me" – 2:32
  3. "Georgia" – 3:18
  4. "Stay High" – 3:12
  5. "Tomorrow" – 3:14
  6. "Short and Sweet" – 3:45
  7. "13th Century Metal" – 4:48
  8. "Baby" – 2:27
  9. "Goat Head" – 3:13
  10. "Presence" – 2:47
  11. "Run to Me" – 3:05

    Personnel

Additional musicians
Technical personnel

Weekly charts

Year-end charts