Grace Potter - This Is Somewhere - soon to be HERE

Just in case my opinion of Grace Potter & the Nocturnal isn't clear, read what I've said about them here, here, here, here, here, and finally here. Get the picture? In the 14 months or so of writing this blog, more posts have been dedicated to Grace and company than any other band. With that in mind, you can imagine how excited I was to get my hands on their newest creation, This Is Somewhere, due out August 7th.

For those of you who've listened to Grace since the beginning, or others (like me) who've worked their way back from her last release (Nothing But the Water), you've probably noticed evolution at work. For those of you new to Grace, be prepared for a rockin' good album. With the last album several years old, if you've seen the band recently you've noticed a shift in their sound. The soulful bluesiness is still there, but it's turning into a more rhythm and bluesiness and hitting a little harder. What's incredible about that is it seems Grace's voice is growing with the band's sound. Or maybe it's the band's sound growing with Grace's voice.

The group's first album, Original Soul, has got a jazzy feel to it, with many of the tracks easily fitting into a smokey lounge atmosphere. Much of the emphasis is on Grace's voice and organ(even the CD is attributed to just Grace, with no mention of the Nocturnals), with many tracks only having light instrumention keeping the beat in the background.

On Nothing But the Water, the band seemed to step up and add more to the compostions in general. Don't let this imply that they were simply background support of the first album, but they seem to come into their own on this one. The overall feeling of the album also turns a little bluesy and a few tracks really start to jam (try Joey below). There are still tracks that highlight Grace's beautifull voice, but the instruments make themselves a little more felt.

With This Is Somewhere, the band once again grows and take their craft to another level. For those of you who have caught the group on tour in the last year or two, you'll recognize many of the tracks as those they've been playing on the road (Stop The Bus, Ain't No Time, Falling Or Flying, etc...). The band as a whole has kicked it up a notch, and unlike previous albums, you can really hear the entire band here, each showing their chops. Check out the song below to see it for yourself.


Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Ah Mary : This Is Somewhere

and some from their older albums...

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Joey : Nothing But the Water

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Deliverance Road : Original Soul

Visit their website, their label Hollywood Records, and become their friend on MySpace.