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Grace Potter and The Nocturnals: Grace Potter and The Nocturnals

Hollywood

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals takes the band’s namesake further into sultry-frontwoman territory—with growling bar-blues jams, a few run-throughs of Mother’s Finest-worthy funk-rock and some more tender country-tinged ballads that showcase Grace Potter’s ability to slowly soar to impressive high notes and hang out there for a while. The organ-playing singer and Nocturnals are skilled in careful historical musical recreation— looking the part of 1974 pretty impressively—but what will have the comfort of nostalgia for some listeners will sound like a million older things to others. Potter may very well morph into a superstar, but along the way she’s demonstrating that she can do belting Janis, fiery Melissa Etheridge, Stonesy Tina Turner, mellow Bonnie Raitt—she can even do a wounded-but-strong hot-country Shania Twain thing. Though she may be overselling herself in terms of versatility, Potter’s best when understated—but it could take a few more demonstrations of her range before she arrives there.