9.15 a.m. EDT August 16, 2015 Grace Potter's musical vision has always been greater than the audience in front of her.
Since coming up through the jam-band scene a decade ago with her band, the Nocturnals, Potter has consistently reached out to new audiences, recording country singles with Kenny Chesney, singing on stage with the Rolling Stones, collaborating with artists ranging from Willie Nelson to the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne.
Even given that history, solo album Midnight (*** out of four) may come as a shock to those who know her music well. A big-beat pop-rock album, Midnight recalls Melissa Etheridge (Nobody's Born With a Broken Heart) at one moment and, at another, Bananarama (Delirious). Compared to what came before in her career, it's as big a stylistic shift as the one Tina Turner, one of Potter's idols, made in the mid-'80s with Private Dancer.
Potter made Midnight with L.A. producer Eric Valentine, who has similar musical breadth, having worked with acts as diverse as Nickel Creek and Queens of the Stone Ago. And while it most certainly doesn't contain the Nocturnals' straight-ahead rock, all of Potter's band members appear on the album. Drummer and husband Matt Burr is part of the core band, along with Potter and Valentine, who each play multiple instruments. Nocturnals guitarists Scott Tournet and Benny Yurco and bassist Matt Libramento also contribute.
Potter's definitely making a play for a broad-based audience. Single Alive Tonight breaks into a disco-anthem chorus, and gospel-choir vocals surround her on Empty Heart. "Raise up your arms, come one, come all — you've got to cross over," she sings on Instigators.
Potter never abandons her rock roots, though — just listen to the squalling guitar on Look What We've Become. Ultimately, that's what distinguishes Midnight from the P!nks, the Kelly Clarksons and the Sias of popdom.
The question remains to be answered whether Potter has moved too far, too quickly for her core audience, while entering an part of the market already crowded with female pop singers. Those considerations aside, Midnight is a successful artistic gambit, on Potter's terms and for those adventurous enough to find or follow her.
