Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

iTunes Review

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals have been proving themselves on the live circuit for years, proving to one audience at a time that the band has the ability to jam with the best of them and that their lead singer, Grace Potter, is someone who deserves the comparisons she receives to previous rock royalty. The trick, of course, is figuring out how to capture all this raw energy in the studio and fit it into somewhat conventional songs. (Plenty of legendary live bands never make career-defining studio releases.) This self-titled release is a tight production that displays Potter’s blues (“Paris (Ooh La La)”), the band’s lean towards reggae (“Goodbye Kiss,” “One Short Night”) and their ability to sound like a band that belongs on classic-rock radio (“Tiny Light”). The quieter moments in “Colors,” the vocal slink behind “Money” and the hints of Memphis soul on “Low Road” and the reflective grace of “Things I Never Needed” and “Fooling Myself” show where the “Nocturnal” side of the band comes alive.