‘I Must Be Dreaming’ Review: Alabama Shakes Deliver a Softer Form of Protest

Returning after a long absence can be risky for any group. When musicians spend years away before releasing another album, the finished work can feel overly polished and burdened by the length of its creation. That criticism does not apply to ‘I Must Be Dreaming’, the first album from Alabama Shakes in more than ten years. True to its title, the record moves through relaxed and hazy psychedelic soul, although its themes pull in two contrasting directions.

One side captures the trio’s anger toward America’s decline under Trump, leaving them to wonder whether the situation can possibly be genuine. The other celebrates the simple joy of being alive. On the airy ‘Easy’, singer Brittany Howard sounds amazed that her relationship with her fiancée can feel so safe and rewarding. That emotional divide gives the album its identity, with Alabama Shakes balancing private happiness against the disturbing political reality unfolding beyond the comfort of home.

The group’s earlier work was not always so layered. Their hugely popular first two records, 2012’s ‘Boys & Girls’ and 2015’s ‘Sound & Color’, used a vintage style that remained accessible enough to connect with a broad rock audience. After the second album reached number one on the Billboard 200 and earned four Grammy Awards, the band appeared capable of going anywhere. Instead, they stepped away completely. Howard recently explained to the Guardian that the break became necessary to protect them from exhaustion: “We were in danger of running the thing into the ground.”

Howard’s bold and psychedelic 2024 solo record ‘What Now’ may have helped restart the group’s creative momentum. ‘I Must Be Dreaming’ follows a similarly subtle experimental path, but Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell still combine its misty textures with the memorable melodies that shaped their earlier work. The lively and funky ‘How Love’s Supposed To Go’ is a clear example. It is also easy to understand why ‘I Feel Hope Coming’, a beautiful celebration of optimism, became one of the album’s advance singles.

However, ‘I Must Be Dreaming’ occasionally feels too restrained and comfortable. ‘American Dream’, which mourns the corruption spreading through the Land Of The Free, drifts past when it should arrive with explosive force. Alabama Shakes deserve recognition for moving into unfamiliar territory, but these calm and gentle arrangements do not always provide the urgency that meaningful political protest requires.