I first heard Grace Potter and The Nocturnals two weeks ago, and now I can't stop listening. Mixing funk and blues, Potter and her band play timeless songs with passion and prowess that’s well beyond their years. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how a 22-year-old from Vermont can play music so soulful and true.
It just don’t make no sense.
Grace Potter’s sophomore album, Nothing but the Water (Ragged Company / Hollywood Records), has recently been re-mastered and re-released, and its upbeat funk and slowed-down blues showcase how ridiculously talented Grace Potter is. Whether she’s sitting behind her Hammond B-3 or singing alongside a lone acoustic guitar, the earnestness of her vocals shines through.
The album opens with Toothbrush and My Table – a track reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt that tells the tale of a relationship gone bad. Singing about a girl reclaiming her belongings from a boyfriend, Grace flawlessly emotes the tenacity of someone in this situation (and displays good musical taste to boot). Gimme back my hammer. Gimmer back my nail. Gimme back my jeans and my J.J. Cale…
The third song on the record, Ragged Company, slowly picks up steam as its beautiful melody and tender lyrics soar, and then it gracefully closes with a whisper. In a previous post, I said that Grace’s music makes me sway like Ray Charles and convulse like Joe Cocker, and this is one of the tracks that does it every time. As does Treat Me Right, with Hammond B-3, gritty vocals and weeping guitars. Raw and sexy, the song drips with emotion.
In a digital age where you can carry around 15,000 songs in your pocket, it’s nice to have a few tracks that would be comfortably at home in an age of hi-fi and vinyl. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals echo the past in way that sounds just right in the present. With energy and earnestness, this young group can outplay many veterans.
I can’t wait to hear what comes next.
Cast:
Grace Potter - Lead Vocals/Hammond B-3/Piano/Guitar
Scott Tournet - Guitar/Slide Guitar
Matthew Burr - Drums/Percussion
Bryan Dondero - Upright Bass/Electric Bass
Downloads:
Grace Potter | Toothbrush and My Table [MP3]
Grace Potter | Grace Potter Concerts [MP3, FLAC, OGG]
Grace Potter | Indie911 [Streaming Audio, Videos]
It just don’t make no sense.
Grace Potter’s sophomore album, Nothing but the Water (Ragged Company / Hollywood Records), has recently been re-mastered and re-released, and its upbeat funk and slowed-down blues showcase how ridiculously talented Grace Potter is. Whether she’s sitting behind her Hammond B-3 or singing alongside a lone acoustic guitar, the earnestness of her vocals shines through.
The album opens with Toothbrush and My Table – a track reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt that tells the tale of a relationship gone bad. Singing about a girl reclaiming her belongings from a boyfriend, Grace flawlessly emotes the tenacity of someone in this situation (and displays good musical taste to boot). Gimme back my hammer. Gimmer back my nail. Gimme back my jeans and my J.J. Cale…
The third song on the record, Ragged Company, slowly picks up steam as its beautiful melody and tender lyrics soar, and then it gracefully closes with a whisper. In a previous post, I said that Grace’s music makes me sway like Ray Charles and convulse like Joe Cocker, and this is one of the tracks that does it every time. As does Treat Me Right, with Hammond B-3, gritty vocals and weeping guitars. Raw and sexy, the song drips with emotion.
Come on, come on, come on, you gotta treat me right all the time, squeeze me like a key lime.2:22 opens with slow bass licks and an acoustic guitar getting picked just right, and it stays in this perfect place throughout. The bluesiest song of the bunch, the track plays mean and slow, and there’s just as much in what’s not being played as there is in the music.
I told your mama, you're like dirt beneath my toes, but deep down in my heart, baby, I know you’re made of solid gold.The album closes with parts 1 and 2 of Nothing But the Water, a bluesy gospel jam that opens a cappella and then blows up with teeth-rattling energy. At the Boston Music Awards, Grace Potter and her band stole the show with this amazing song (watch below).
In a digital age where you can carry around 15,000 songs in your pocket, it’s nice to have a few tracks that would be comfortably at home in an age of hi-fi and vinyl. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals echo the past in way that sounds just right in the present. With energy and earnestness, this young group can outplay many veterans.
I can’t wait to hear what comes next.
Cast:
Grace Potter - Lead Vocals/Hammond B-3/Piano/Guitar
Scott Tournet - Guitar/Slide Guitar
Matthew Burr - Drums/Percussion
Bryan Dondero - Upright Bass/Electric Bass
Downloads:
Grace Potter | Toothbrush and My Table [MP3]
Grace Potter | Grace Potter Concerts [MP3, FLAC, OGG]
Grace Potter | Indie911 [Streaming Audio, Videos]
