By MIKE CHAIKEN EDITIONS EDITOR When a musical artist is known for a particularly left-of-center style— and word arrives that their newest recorded effort is “pop”— trepidation ripples through the ears of their hardcore fans. Has their favorite artist sold out to the corporate world and the lure of the almighty dollar? So when the rootsy Grace Potter and the Nocturnals became no more and morphed into Grace Potter, solo artist, we imagine fans of her past existence were worried. And, indeed, “Midnight” fits more easily into the top pop hits of today than the efforts the fans had grown to know and love. Although, with the presences of members of the Flaming Lips and the Queens of the Stone Age, we’re hardly talking about a new Ariana Grande record. But Potter’s live show on Dec. 5 at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven proved to hardcore fans that they did not need to worry about Grace losing herself in the world of commercial music. There may be some “gloss” on “Midnight.” But in concert, Grace – and her band the Midnight Road Show—offer up plenty of crunch on the newer tracks. And on the older material, the […]
By MIKE CHAIKEN EDITIONS EDITOR When a musical artist is known for a particularly left-of-center style— and word arrives that their newest recorded effort is “pop”— trepidation ripples through the ears of their hardcore fans. Has their favorite artist sold out to the corporate world and the lure of the almighty dollar? So when the rootsy Grace Potter and the Nocturnals became no more and morphed into Grace Potter, solo artist, we imagine fans of her past existence were worried. And, indeed, “Midnight” fits more easily into the top pop hits of today than the efforts the fans had grown to know and love. Although, with the presences of members of the Flaming Lips and the Queens of the Stone Age, we’re hardly talking about a new Ariana Grande record. But Potter’s live show on Dec. 5 at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven proved to hardcore fans that they did not need to worry about Grace losing herself in the world of commercial music. There may be some “gloss” on “Midnight.” But in concert, Grace – and her band the Midnight Road Show—offer up plenty of crunch on the newer tracks. And on the older material, the […]