What a difference a year can make.  Around this time in 2011, the Alabama Shakes (formerly the Shakes) hadn’t recorded a single track, but performed a killer set at the Grimey’s Record Store Day event that caught the attention of Seth Riddle, a record label head.  After recording their excellent EP last summer in East Nashville, the Alabama Shakes’ momentum began to explode as Riddle shared their work with influential music blogs, companies like Zales picked up their songs for commercials, and even the likes of Adele tweeted about them.  Needless to say, expectations were high leading up to the release of “Boys and Girls,” the band’s first full length, but the album meets every one of them.

It may only be March, but the weather seems to have decided that summer is here, and musicians are beginning to follow suit.  Such is the case with La Sera’s “Sees the Light,” the sophomore release from former Vivian Girl Katy Goodman.  Sweet, wispy vocals and breezy guitar work permeate the album’s 10 tracks, creating a listening experience that is, for the most part, summery bliss.

On paper, Sleigh Bells’ act sounds crazy: take a female pop singer, a heavy metal guitarist, and a few hip hop beats, and crank up the volume to its max. …

All “Rehab” jokes aside, the death of Amy Winehouse was a true loss to the music world.  Her blend of Motown, soul, and blues stood apart from everything on the radio, and her distinctively raspy vocals allowed for some powerful self-expression.  Perhaps the saddest part of her passing is the fact that she had such great potential but left so little behind, releasing two studio albums and appearing on a few scattered collaborations during her short career.