Full disclosure: a while back I decided that I was going to stop doing album reviews. Out of everything I write, album reviews take me the longest to complete. Plus there's been some debate about whether album reviews are still relevant or not that factored into this decision. I've clearly changed my mind on this issue. This album being one of the reasons why - this is honestly one of the best albums I've heard in a while. I knew I had to write about it. Even more so in reading all of the responses to what is now being referred to as SaladGate. I'm not going to waste time getting into all of that right now, except to say that I feel like Keith Hill's comments were blown out of proportion and that most people completely missed the valid point he was making. We need to do a better job of supporting female artists. Period. If you ask me, there are three key ways to do that. Buy their music. Go to their shows. Talk about them.
So with those things in mind, I'm going to make a point of highlighting as many different female artists as possible from here on out. There's so many women making great music right now. Rachel Potter being one of them. If you've never heard of Rachel Potter, she was on X-Factor a couple of years ago and has performed on Broadway. You listen to her sing and you understand how she got there. There's no beating a Broadway-caliber voice, in my opinion. They voices have an excitement in them that captures you and Rachel is no exception. Not so Black and White is her first full length country album and was released about three months ago. Now, country music has always been present in my life, but I didn't start really loving it until high school. This was in the late '90s/early '00s, a great time for women in country music. Women like Faith Hill and Shania Twain, Martina McBride and Sara Evans, Lee Ann Womack and Leann Rimes - all making waves in the genre. Not to mention Reba, Trisha and Wynonna. It was kind of a golden age for women. Why am I bringing this up? Easy. Listening to Not so Black and White throws me right back to that time.
It's a very strong album. Honestly, it's kind of hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this is a debut album. This tells me that Rachel has a very clear vision of who she is as an artist and what she wants to say as an artist. This is something that I feel a lot of singers struggle with, particularly in the beginning of their careers. Sometimes it take a while for an act to find their true voice, but not here. This album feels very real and genuine to me. It seems honest in a way that an average album isn't. The lyrics are solid throughout and downright clever at times. Musically speaking, there's some really lovely playing on here. Great production; her voice is never overshadowed by the music. Although with a voice like hers, I'm not sure that's even possible. This woman's got some pipes, is what I'm saying. This brings me to my next point about the control Rachel has over her voice. Sometimes people who are capable with singing with this much power over-sing for no other reason than they can. Just because you can blast out a vocal doesn't mean that you should. There are, of course, times when it's warranted. Some lyrics simply demand to be belted out, but others require a soft touch. A good singer can hit the notes. A great singer can sing at many different levels. But it's a special kind of singer that knows when and how hard to push. Who knows when and how much to pull back. Rachel Potter is one of those singers. She sings these songs the way they need to be sung. It makes listening to them that much more enjoyable.
I am going to address each song individually so anyone interested in that can keep reading. If you just wanted a short read, well, this might be goodbye for now. Your homework? Do your ears a favor and buy this album. It'll make them happy and, really, who doesn't want happy ears?
Staying with me? Cool. Let's do this.
"Zero to Sixty": The perfect song to start the album. Need a fun driving song? Rachel's got you covered. This will make you want to roll the windows down, turn the volume up while you sing and dance along. You might even feel an urge to throw your arms up on occasion. This is encouraged. Unless you happen to be the person actually driving the car, in which case, please keep at least one hand on the wheel. Safety first, boys and girls.
"Gonna Get Burned": Probably best to keep the volume up for this one. I kind of love the mood shift between these first two songs. We go from light fun to outright trouble. See, we've all had those moments where you know that you shouldn't do something, but man, you really want to. You know it's not going to end well, but you just don't care. You're doing it. You are willfully gonna get burned. And you're probably going to enjoy it.
"Not so Black and White": The energy stays up for the title track, but it's another cool shift in mood. Feeling less than confident? Unsure of yourself? This song has some advice for you. Namely to understand that everything is not black and white and to learn to live somewhere in the middle. I feel like this song can cover a lot of situations. Ultimately, the take home message I get from it is just to be yourself and trust your gut and your heart. Things will work out. Even if they aren't as clear cut as you think they should be.
"Radio": If you don't sing along with this one, you're not doing it right. The chorus is downright infectious. It's a nice, feel good song. Seriously, I don't think you can be in a bad mood after listening to it.
"Try": A song about a relationship that's gone off the rails when it never should have left the track. A song about a person who is desperate to hold onto it, even if it's a lie. They want the other person to just try. Even if it's just for one more night. I imagine many will relate to this. I love the way the music builds throughout the song. Slower than the other songs thus far, but still with the energy that's been so present. More of a pulsing kind of beat.
"Butterfly": This song features Patrick Thomas and I really like the way their voices sound together. Also, I do believe I hear a Dobro in there. That instrument is so underused these days and I don't get it. This is one of my favorite songs on the album. It's all about how the smallest things can have the biggest impact in our lives. We might not always notice them, but we'd never get to where we want to be without them.
"Tail Lights": Another favorite. I like singing along (or trying to sing along) with all the songs on this album, but for some reason I think I enjoy singing along with this one the most. Something about the melody just gets me. Cool groove here too. A song about wanting to get away. Hence the thinking about tail lights. Favorite lines: "I'll be off in the distance/ On the other side of wishing". There's a video for this that you can watch here.
"Boomerang": This one features Joey Stamper, more of a duet in this case. He takes most of the second verse and does a great job with it. Love the way they split at the end. This is one of those songs that you listen to and wonder how you've never heard this spin on this concept before. It's about a couple that had broken up, but their love came flying back like a boomerang. I can guarantee that there are going to be songwriters smacking themselves in the forehead for not being the ones to come up with it. It's nice hearing things delivered in different ways. Country radio, take note.
"Sit Here Next to Me": Going to have to dust off the old aww-o-meter for this one. It's such a sweet lyric. She feels bad because her man doesn't feel like he can take care of her the way he wishes he could. But all she wants is him. He doesn't need to do anything other than sit there next to her. That's beautiful.
"Jesus and Jezebel": So I read an article about this song before I heard it where Rachel was talking about how she thinks this song will be seen as controversial. Unfortunately, I think she's right about that and that's a shame. I imagine some will take it as some kind of attack on Christianity when it is anything but that. If anything, it's the exact opposite. It kind of rebukes those people who call themselves Christians, but treat others with contempt for being the "wrong" kind of person. Now, this is making some waves in the gay community as it's pro-gay, but honestly? A lot of people are going to resonate with this song because a lot of people have had run-ins with these kinds of people. I know that I have; in fact, speaking as a Christian and straight female, most of the people who have hurt me the most in my life are these kinds of people. People who can hurtle Bible verses at you, but have never taken to time to actually get to know Jesus. Because if they had they would know that He is all about love. Jesus is love. In case you're curious about the title, here's the context: "Oh but I think Jesus can love this Jezebel". Indeed. I believe that those who take an issue with this song are probably the people who need to hear its message the most. It's a clever lyric and catchy as all get out. This song hits me in a place not many songs have and I applaud Rachel (and her producer(s)) for including it on the album. And to anyone who has been hurt by these people, listen to it and take the message to heart. You are loved and you matter. Your life matters. Remember that. Also, check out the new video for this here.
"Moon Over Nashville": Time for a ballad. It's about someone who wants to leave the town they live in because it's full of memories of an ex who broke their heart. If the moon is over Nashville than that is where they're going. It's a lovely lyric, albeit melancholy one. But what's country music without a good dose of melancholy? Solid country song right here. Really like the instrumentation as well.
"Worth It": The beat kicks back up for this inspirational little ditty. It's a reminder that things might be bad now and you may be struggling, but one day it'll be worth it. It'll be all right. Someday. And when that happens you'll see that all of the pain and whatnot was worth it. So hang in there.
"Somebody to Love": Not so Black and White ends with a Queen cover. Rachel's Broadway background shines through in this and it's pretty awesome. I do believe that Rachel is going to join the ranks of the women I mentioned in my introduction. This is going to be an album that I'm going to wear out. It's going to be one that I'm going to sing along with every time. Or at least attempt to. This song, forget it. She hits notes that I'd only ever be able to reach via pole vault. Maybe not even then. Again: this woman has some serious pipes. It's been a long time since I've had an album hit me like this one has and I love that. I think you will too.
Also, if you like and/or want to know more about Rachel, be sure to check out all of her social media below.
Website: http://rachelpottermusic.com/
Website: http://rachelpottermusic.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therachelpotter
Instagram: https://instagram.com/therachelpotter/
One more thing. That pole vault comment is actually a reference to a TV show that was on during the time frame I referenced in the introduction. Think you know what show I'm talking about? Then shoot me an email at countrymusicatk@hotmail.com sometime between now and July 31st and if you're right, I'll buy you this album. How about that? As always, thank you for reading!
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