Brittany Howard’s career has been one of ever-expanding sonic exploration, from the nakedly retro rock ‘n’ soul of the Alabama Shakes’s Boys & Girls to the gleeful eclecticism of her solo debut, Jaime. Howard’s sophomore effort, What Now, finds her once again stylistically untethered, exploring funk-rock, psychedelia, techno, soft jazz, new age, and more. Sonically, it’s a triumph, a delicately textured musical realm that begs to be luxuriated in.

What’s missing from the album is the same level of songwriting that elevated Howard’s previous work. There are a few standout tracks, but no burrowing hooks on the level of “Don’t Wanna Fight” or “Stay High.” The only time she comes close to those earlier songs is on the propulsive “Red Flags,” its circular melody continuously building in intensity as Howard recounts a toxic relationship morphing from euphoria to abuse. Jazz drummer Nate Smith, the album’s sturdy backbone, keeps a brittle, stuttering beat throughout the track.

What Now is primarily a vibes album, so a lack of pop appeal isn’t inherently a detriment. If anything, it could have used fewer three-minute R&B songs and more experimental fare like the pitched-up vocal-infused slow jam “I Don’t” and the giddy “Another Day.” The lyrics to both comfortingly reflect the all-too-familiar emotional bipolarity of life during the pandemic, when Howard began working on the album: “Does anyone remember/What it felt like to laugh all night?” she laments on “I Don’t,” before looking forward to “a world where we can go outside and be who we want and see who we like” on “Another Day.”

Even in the album’s relatively lesser moments, Howard’s voice is a marvel. It’s the one instrument on What Now that she seems intent on finding brand new uses for. Her powerful, throaty delivery on the brawny “What Now” and “Power to Undo” counteract the tracks’ over-processed fuzzy guitar tone. Howard’s multi-tracked harmonies on “Earth Signs” and the too-short “To Be Still” are even more remarkable, layered together into an ecstatic one-woman choir that showcases her astounding vocal range.

The most understated song on What Now, “Samson” opens with soft keyboards and a low-key vocal and just drifts along dreamily. Halfway through the five-minute runtime, Howard’s voice drops out and trumpeter Rod McGaha takes over, his mellow soloing drifting mesmerically over Smith’s tricky splatter of a beat. The album features the kind of enveloping sonic environment that producers dream of creating, but only during those last few minutes of “Samson” are the musicians given enough breathing room to create something fully transportive.