This is already the third album of this band that mixes pop, rock, soul, blues, jazz and some other stuff into a very catchy, approachable, enjoyable blend that just breathes music. “Grace Potter And The Nocturnals” is the follow-up to their breakthrough album “This Is Somewhere” from three years ago.
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals debut “Nothing But The Water” was raw and excellent and showed a lot of promise. And while the band garnered more attention with their sophomore release, the album in itself wasn’t as deeply impressive as the first. But with this self-titled effort, we can say that this band is right back at the front.
The album starts off with a radio single contender. Paris (Ooh La La) is catchy, seductive and energetic. It has a good groove and mixes in several different influences, but to be honest, it’s just a lot of fun to listen to this song. Another interesting song is Medicine, which is sort of a bluesy rocker. The infectious beat and lush vocals give this song a great feel. And if One Short Night doesn’t become a huge radio hit, I don’t know what that medium’s even worth anymore.
Potter and her gang also do really well with the power ballads. Low Road is a power ballad that reminds me of the way Fleetwood Mac used to do it, and I don’t think it gets much better than that. And on That Phone the band slowly speeds up the pace, just a tiny bit, adds a little more groove and gives it a little edge. And the chorus of the song is pure gold. The record ends with a country-pop ballad very much in the same fashion as Ilse deLange and Lady Antebellum, and Potter & band easily reach the same level.
Is “Grace Potter & The Nocturnals” the record of the year? Probably not. Is it worth your time? Most definitely. The songs are strong, passionately and convincingly performed with a lot of soul. It doesn’t measure up with what this band can do during a live set, but the songs stand strong in any way. Potter is a strong multi-instrumentalist and a very good singer and her band members accompany her smoothly. There’s plenty of rock & roll, blues, roots, soul and even a touch of reggae on this record. It gives you flashbacks to the late 60s/early 70s yet it still sounds amazingly current. It’s fun, it’s sexy, and it’s damn good.
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals debut “Nothing But The Water” was raw and excellent and showed a lot of promise. And while the band garnered more attention with their sophomore release, the album in itself wasn’t as deeply impressive as the first. But with this self-titled effort, we can say that this band is right back at the front.
The album starts off with a radio single contender. Paris (Ooh La La) is catchy, seductive and energetic. It has a good groove and mixes in several different influences, but to be honest, it’s just a lot of fun to listen to this song. Another interesting song is Medicine, which is sort of a bluesy rocker. The infectious beat and lush vocals give this song a great feel. And if One Short Night doesn’t become a huge radio hit, I don’t know what that medium’s even worth anymore.
Potter and her gang also do really well with the power ballads. Low Road is a power ballad that reminds me of the way Fleetwood Mac used to do it, and I don’t think it gets much better than that. And on That Phone the band slowly speeds up the pace, just a tiny bit, adds a little more groove and gives it a little edge. And the chorus of the song is pure gold. The record ends with a country-pop ballad very much in the same fashion as Ilse deLange and Lady Antebellum, and Potter & band easily reach the same level.
Is “Grace Potter & The Nocturnals” the record of the year? Probably not. Is it worth your time? Most definitely. The songs are strong, passionately and convincingly performed with a lot of soul. It doesn’t measure up with what this band can do during a live set, but the songs stand strong in any way. Potter is a strong multi-instrumentalist and a very good singer and her band members accompany her smoothly. There’s plenty of rock & roll, blues, roots, soul and even a touch of reggae on this record. It gives you flashbacks to the late 60s/early 70s yet it still sounds amazingly current. It’s fun, it’s sexy, and it’s damn good.
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