Carefree, confident and theatrical
American rock artist Grace Potter’s latest album is an ultimately fun, easy listen. Similar to the project’s title, Mother Road is all about being on the go. It encapsulates the liberation of a touring artist and the spark existent in endless adventures. Potter essentially showcases her identity as a rockstar and portrays this lifestyle in a vivid, lively way. Mother Road feels like a tribute to the great American road trip, something relatable towards touring artists and truckers alike. This album gives off the impression of a lively, earthy dive bar, full of joyful conversation and the smell of booze. It captures the comfort of a spot like this, but denies the longevity of these situations. Picture Potter performing in one of these venues. The night is elaborate, one of a kind and blissfully human. However, by the end of the night she’s gone, along with the audience. Nights like these cannot be recreated, but a true and wonderful beauty resides in the urgency to fully live in the moment. If anything, Potter seems to be in constant motion throughout the entirety of Mother Road. Each song feels like a performance, each experience intricate in its own way yet inevitably fleeting.
This overall mood certainly pertains to situations of live music. Grace Potter is speaking to the masses, expressing widespread ideals through a narrow lens. The entire project sounds like American rock, hence the metaphorical motifs of truckers, dive bars and booze. In such a seemingly overplayed genre, Potter definitely manages to keep things fresh. One particularly notable track on Mother Road would be “Lady Vagabond.” It’s hard not to become hooked from the very first second of this song as it is vastly cinematic. It possesses the emphasis of an Ennio Morricone film score, specifically The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. This is wildly apparent thanks to the powerful orchestral hits and theatric cowboy western whistle featured in the first seconds of this song. It starts off extremely serious, similar to Morricone’s famous score. However, “Lady Vagabond” quickly transcends into a full fledged rock song, an illustration of the Wild West through Potter’s eyes.
Overall, this album is too much of a good time for a listener to pass up and disregard. Lovers of rock will absolutely enjoy this and lovers of adventure might feel a certain soft spot in their heart activate upon indulgence in Mother Road. This album is fun, fast-paced and nostalgic, packing a rollercoaster of emotions into a set of songs.
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