Field Hollers were individual expressions of emotions, reminiscent of wails, or cries. This was a secular practice of enslaved peoples’ expression whilst working in the fields.  These hollers could be used to let other people know how they were feeling, or simply as a release.

In Brittany Howard’s music she often belts in such a way that resembles a field holler. Her music holds themes of the tiresome nature of labor under capitalism, and carrying on/being resilient through exhaustion.

Thus, I feel it is fair to say that Brittany Howard is a 21st century example of the field holler. Her wails in music reflect the practice of our ancestors.