I Must Be Dreaming

Alabama Shakes

I Must Be Dreaming

Third studio album from the Athens, Alabama soul rock quartet and first since 2015 produced with Shawn Everett (Kacey Musgraves, The War on Drugs, The Killers)

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
Island
UK Release date
28/08/2026
US Release date
28/08/2026
  1. 10.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    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
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  2. 9.0 |   Uncut

    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

  3. 8.0 |   Mojo

    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

  4. 8.0 |   Far Out

    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
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  5. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    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
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  6. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    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
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  7. 8.0 |   Hot Press

    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
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  8. 7.5 |   No Ripcord

    Even at their most wide-ranging, the Shakes make it all sound effortlessly cool
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  9. 7.2 |   Pitchfork

    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
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  10. 7.0 |   NME

    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
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  11. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The album’s sonic milieu is a fitting callback to another period of social upheaval
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  12. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    On the group's first album in more than a decade, the Shakes sound like old friends exploring new sounds
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  13. 6.7 |   Paste Magazine

    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
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  14. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    An abundance of rich, cooling indie rock
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