Austin City Limits spotlights celebrated singer and multiple Grammy recipient Brittany Howard in her return to the ACL stage for a highly-anticipated solo debut showcasing songs from her 2021 Grammy-winning gem Jaime. The new hour premieres Saturday, November 20 @8pm CT/9pm ET as part of the series Season 47. Despite the challenges facing live music during the past year, ACL is proud to deliver a new season of performances for viewers, all recorded at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas in 2021, in front of limited live audiences. The program continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for a remarkable 47 years. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.
Brittany Howard delivers a revelatory hour of soul, funk, rock and jazz showcasing songs from her solo debut Jaime. The acclaimed autobiographical collection is a personal reckoning on love, religion, family and race in America. The Alabama native and Alabama Shakes frontwoman bounds onstage in a sparkling sequin robe with an irresistible cover of Funkadelic’s “Hit It or Quit It,” joyfully instructing her backing singers to “Show ‘em how we do it girls.” The gifted singer and performer takes the audience on a journey of Jaime highlights, including a radiant “Stay High” the Grammy-winning radio hit. Introducing the soul burner “Baby,” Howard winks “I wrote this song here when I was on the low side of an 80/20 relationship.” Joyously dancing with her backing singers, Howard segues into “Goat Head,” a powerful tale of identity, addressing her own experience growing up mixed race in the South. She dazzles with choice classics including the Jackie Wilson rave-up “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher,” and treats the audience to another round of Funkadelic with the provocative “You and Your Folks,” amplified with funky bass lines and guitar shreds from her eight-piece band. A set highlight is the spoken word poetry of “13th Century Metal,” a recitation on which Howard preaches in defense of love and brother/sisterhood: “It’s been said before but it bears repeating: “We are brothers and sisters, each and every one.” She unleashes her powerhouse vocals on the funky shuffle “History Repeats,” complete with synchronized dancing from Howard and her backing singers, and closes out the spectacular hour with a psychedelic soul take on the Beatles’ “Revolution.”
“Brittany Howard has always had a voice like none other,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, “and she’s a transformative artist who’s pushing that voice to new heights that take her songs to a new realm. It’s a joyous ride for all of us!”
Brittany Howard setlist:
Hit It or Quit It
Georgia
Stay High
Presence
Higher and Higher
Baby
Goat Head
Tomorrow
You and Your Folks
13th Century Metal
Short and Sweet
History Repeats
Revolution
Watch live, stream anytime, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. The complete line-up for the full 13-week season will be announced shortly. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.
Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 47th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic Austin PBS Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.
Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, Workrise, the Austin Convention Center Department and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.