Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - This Is Somewhere - 2007 - Hollywood Records

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals have long been impressing crowds on the jam band, roots rock, and even jazz tour circuits, and now, with a label deal for the very first time in their lives, they finally have the opportunity to reach an even broader audience. Of course, Potter already has a pretty devout following, thanks to her richly expressive voice and the musical talents that she and her bandmembers possess, and these fans shouldn't be disappointed with This Is Somewhere, an album that, while it roots itself firmly in the Southern rock tradition, also flirts with Norah Jones-esque jazz ("Lose Some Time"), horn-driven grooves ("Mastermind"), and even pretty straightforward MOR pop ("Mr. Columbus," which, with its simple melodies and lyrics, is one of the weaker tracks on the record), in doing so creating a solid collection. Not every track here is superb -- the aforementioned "Mr. Columbus," for example, as well as "Mastermind," which is too unsyncopated and forced to pull off the frenzy of saxophones that appears -- but Potter is showing herself to be a very adept songwriter, able to convey witty irony (in "Ah Mary," an almost angry criticism of the U.S.) as well as reflections on death (coming from the perspective of an 84-year-old woman in "Big White Gate") and gentle love ("Stop the Bus") equally skillfully and avoiding many of the lyrical clichés often tied to themes of that sort. Yes, This Is Somewhere is a bit top-heavy, with most of stronger cuts tucked safely into its first half, and sometimes Potter seems to be trying a little too hard (in "Falling or Flying," for example), her Southern accent just a little too affected, but the album is still impressive, with a lot of passion, energy, and soul from a very able group of young musicians. © Marisa Brown © 2011 Rovi Corporation © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved
Buy the "Grace Potter & the Nocturnals" album, and support good modern jazz, and soul blues

TRACKS

1 Ah Mary 4:36
2 Stop The Bus 3:52
3 Apologies 5:12
4 Ain't No Time 3:27
5 Mr. Columbus 3:41
6 You May See Me 4:27
7 Lose Some Time 5:22
8 Mastermind 3:58
9 Here's To The Meantime 3:59
10 Falling Or Flying 4:57
11 Big White Gate 4:57

All songs composed by Grace Potter

MUSICIANS

Grace Potter - Fender Rhodes, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Mellotron, Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ, Piano, Upright Piano, Pipe Organ, Vocals
Mike Daly - 12 String Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Hi String Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar, Pedal Steel, Vibraphone, Wurlitzer, Accordion, Autoharp, Chamberlin, Optigan
Scott Tournet - Guitar, 12 String Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Leslie Guitar, Tremolo Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar, Slide Guitar, Harmonica, Loop, Noise
Stylophone, Vocals, Background Vocals, Whale Sounds
Bryan Dondero - Bass, Baritone Guitar, Mandolin, Arp Echoplex
Matt Burr - Drums, Percussion
Alan Bezozi - Percussion
Andy Snitzer - Tenor Sax
Aaron Heick - Alto Sax
Jeff Kievit - Trumpet
Michael Davis - Trombone
Rob Mathes - Horn Arrangements, Horn Conductor
Booty Call Choir - Vocals, Background Vocals

ABOUT GRACE POTTER

Born in Waitsfield, VT, Grace Potter grew up in a family that encouraged her artistic pursuits in areas from music to theater, the latter of which she was studying at St. Lawrence University when drummer Matt Burr heard her singing at an open-mike night in 2002 and asked if she would form a band with him. She declined, but when her high-school friend and bass player Courtright Beard enrolled in their college, she reconsidered the invitation, and the three of them began to write and perform jazz-influenced songs, Potter also taking duties on the Hammond B-3. Soon, guitarist Scott Tournet joined, and the bandmembers, calling themselves Grace Potter & the Nocturnals -- thanks to their late-night practice habits -- began to think seriously about making music their careers. When Burr graduated in 2003, they decided to move back to Vermont to some land that Potter's parents owned and dedicate themselves more fully to their craft, replacing Beard (who chose to stay at school) with Bryan Dondero in the process. In 2004 they self-released their debut, Original Soul, receiving positive response and comparisons to artists like Norah Jones and early Bonnie Raitt. This in turn garnered major-label offers, but the band preferred to build its fan base by constant touring and festival appearances. Word of their electric performance spread, and shortly after their second album, Nothing But the Water -- also self-released -- came out in 2005, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals signed to Hollywood Records, with their third full-length, This Is Somewhere, hitting shelves nationwide in August 2007. In 2010, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals was released; Hollywood pulled out all the stops in order to break the band internationally. © Marisa Brown © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/grace-potter-p742962/biography