Track listing: Whiskey Haze (Acoustic), Desire (Acoustic), Troubled (Acoustic), Whiskey Haze (Electric), Desire (Electric), Troubled (Electric)
Jo Potter's latest release Rocks is a 6-song EP featuring electric and acoustic versions of 3 tracks (be sure to check out her interview with Coyote Music from May 2024!). The record rocks and grooves, twangs and soothes, representing her impressive career. She's lived and performed all over the world from rocking at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and opening for The GoGo's in Miami Beach to performing in intimate songwriting circles at NYC's Bitter End and Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe.
"Whiskey Haze" in its acoustic form is a plaintive tale lamenting the memory-fading effects of rock 'n' roll's favorite elixir. We love, we lose, we consult our counselor: Dr. Jack Daniels, M.D. His treatment never disappoints, right? But once you get to the electric version at track 4, "Whiskey Haze" (the song itself) is what's providing the consolation. It's got some anger and fire inciting you to get the fuck outta bed, stop moping around, and throw back a couple shots on your way out the door to make shit happen.
Next up is "Desire," a smooth and bluesy groove a la Leon Bridges crossing paths with Sass Jordan. Lyrically, it's a sexy, alluring exploration of the sensations that drive our impassioned impulses. Once you cue up the electric rendition, you hear the same kick drum / handclap backbeat but the song's injected with plenty of distorted guitar and a Hammond B3 to take the animalistic vibe up to 11.
What record's complete without a ballad? Enter "Troubled." It's not remotely a sappy slow song. Instead, the stripped down version is revealing and delicate. Potter lets her voice relax while exposing the beauty in her vocal lilt. And that same gorgeous B3 dances around in the background for good measure. But by the time you reach its electric counterpart, "Troubled" is kicking everyone's ass in the back of the bar. The guitar is gritty, the drum kit stanky, and the bass lays a phat, phat groove.
It's not often that we get to see an artist's aggression and sensitivity come through so clearly on the same recording. With Rocks, Jo Potter lets listeners in on both sides of her performing persona. And while it serves as a great demo to new fans of what she's capable of on both large stages and tiny listening rooms, Rocks comes across moreso as a personal statement asserting that Potter can do whatever the hell she wants to...even within the same song.
Checkout more info about Jo Potter, her upcoming shows, and follow her across her socials and streaming platforms at jopotterrocks.com.