Sunday, January 13, 2008
A+E, Music, Reviews

Soundcheck: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals; Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

“This Is Somewhere” (Hollywood)

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals CREDIT: Courtesy of gracepotter.com

GRACE POTTER AND THE NOCTURNALS Sat., Jan. 19 Smith’s Olde Bar $12 404 875-1522 www.smithsoldebar.com

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings CREDIT: Dulce Pinzon

SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS w/the Ivan Milev Band Sat., Jan. 19 Variety Playhouse $15-$17.50 404 524-7354 www.variety-playhouse.com

GRACE POTTER AND THE NOCTURNALS
“This Is Somewhere”
(Hollywood)

“One part sugar, two parts feeling, three cups full of bottled lightning,” Grace Potter sings on “Mastermind,” and that’s an accurate description of her own style.

Call it roots rock, heavily infused with the bluesier splashes of Sheryl Crow, Gov’t Mule and the Black Crowes. The somewhat retro feel of this effort, her first for a major label after a few well-received indie releases, doesn’t feel dated so much as reminiscent of a time when singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalists such as Potter were the norm rather than the exception.

Already established on the jam circuit, Potter downplays the spontaneous aspects of her live approach to concentrate on generally mid-tempo songs that highlight vivid lyrics of personal freedom sung in a resilient voice. Additionally, her keyboard and organ work adds washes of color to a thick yet open sound bolstered by her Nocturnals backing trio.

On initial listen, the tunes seem overly wordy and the melodies don’t jump out. But repeated spins reveal riffs and hooks buried beneath the surface, and Potter’s soulful vocals are more affecting as the songs become familiar. The singer’s keyboards add a slightly ghostly feel to ballads such as the alternately lovely and edgy “Falling or Flying,” reminiscent of some of Traffic’s later work.

“Mastermind” kicks off with Spectorish, “Be My Baby” drums, only to shift into a Southside Johnny-styled soul-rocker, complete with horns and a chorus that screams to be played in the arenas this group is clearly aiming for. Catch them on the way up. 3 STARS—Hal Horowitz

SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS
“100 Days, 100 Nights”
(Daptone)

Between Amy Winehouse, the Dynamites featuring Charles Walker and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, we could be seeing the beginning of a ’70s soul renaissance. None too soon either, as whatever has passed for soul music in the past 30 years has increasingly lost the passion, sweat and sheer exuberance of the old stuff.

Leave it to Augusta-born and raised Jones and her NYC-based band to resurrect all that was great about Motown, Stax and hometown hero James Brown at his most testifying. The band’s third album is its finest, zeroing in on a slinky, horn-basted sound that combines Detroit’s urbane tautness with Southern R&B’s sultry vibe.

Songs such as “When the Other Foot Drops, Uncle,” with its punctuating horns, would have fit just fine on any Otis Redding collection, as would “Humble Me,” which already seems suspiciously similar to the big O’s “Pain in My Heart.” Even music experts might be fooled into thinking that every track (most written by various Dap-Kings) is some lost relic from 1967, not 2007. The groove flows naturally through ballads and bubbling-under funk as the arrangements keep the tunes tightly focused for maximum sweaty impact.

At 10 cuts running a brisk 33 minutes, though, it’s over too quickly. But that also harkens back to the golden age of R&B, when albums were little more than a collection of singles. It’s a time ripe for revisiting, and there are few better acts to accomplish that than the brassy-voiced Jones and her “Dap-dippin’” crew. 3.5 STARS—Hal Horowitz