Thunderbitch

“I ain't no good/I'm a piece of shit … I don't need no R.E.S.P.E.C.T. … 'cause I'm a wild child!” Like John Cougar might've said, this debut solo album from Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard “hurts so good.” As you might've gathered from Howard's lyrics to “Wild Child,” Thunderbitch is like a swift kick to the Mellencamps. The album is gritty, unpolished rock times infinity, bringing both classic and modern brands of high-energy garage rock—with nods to everything from The Ramones to Jerry Lee Lewis to the White Stripes—together in a satisfying way. The self-explanatory “I Just Wanna Rock 'n' Roll” is a mosh-inducing blast, while the punk number “I Don't Care” is full of gleeful, youthful recklessness. Howard wails and bellows throughout like an apocalyptic thunderstorm, particularly on the rocker “Closer,” and there is rarely a reprieve from all the intensity. Thunderbitch is an exciting release, no two ways about it, and it will make believers out of anyone foolish enough to think that rock 'n' roll is dead.