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Reviews

Potter's Daughter — Casually Containing Rage
(Bandcamp no#, 2020, CD / DL)

Potter's Daughter — Weighted Keys
(Bandcamp no#, 2022, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-11-03

Casually Containing Rage Cover artWeighted Keys Cover art

Potter’s Daughter released a full-length album back in 2018, but since that time they’ve confined themselves to singles, releases featuring from one to three songs. First up is Casually Containing Rage, which contains two original songs and a cover of Warren Zevon’s “Accidentally Like a Martyr.” It starts out with “To My Love,” which is a beautiful song which won’t sound foreign to fans of Kate Bush and Happy Rhodes. Dyanne Potter Voegtlin’s voice provides the focus, both in the lead and with nicely arranged backing parts; the rhythm section of Jan-Christian Vögtlin (bass) and Patrick Carmichael (drums) provide a subtly funky backing; Amit Chatterjee plays a guitar part that is dextrous and melodic; and Tom Borthwick is credited with soundscaping, providing a lush bed of reverb that doesn’t overwhelm the song. Zevon’s classic song is treated a little more simply, with Dyanne’s piano and voice adorned by Jan-Christian’s bass, guitar, and drum programming. It’s a nice rendition, though the lead vocals occasionally take on an odd tone, as if the microphone didn’t like what it was taking in — or has been treated with an effect that adds weird resonance. “We Could Be” is a song of social commentary which features sampled spoken words of news reports about George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery accompanied by the chorus, “We could be better than this.” For my money, I’ll just say it’s well-intentioned but awkward. Weighted Keys brings us three covers. First up is Kate Bush’s “Night of the Swallow,” and I’ll give credit for picking something other than one of her hits. The vocals are very nicely done, quite similar to the original, and the countermelody is done on a keyboard that sounds a lot like uilleann pipes — the primary difference here is that there’s a lot less percussion. I was completely unfamiliar with Tom Kelly, the composer of “Catherine,” but the lovely tune is given a respectful solo piano treatment somewhat shorter than the original. Joni Mitchell’s “That Song about the Midway” finishes off the set, and again I’m pleased by the choice of a lesser-known track. Piano forms the primary backing for the song, and there are some nice extra vocal parts added. Jan-Christian’s contributions are relatively subdued, with bass, sparse percussion, and a few bits of guitar. Of these two releases, I find Weighted Keys much more satisfying, though I am curious about the group’s strategy of releasing numerous short collections rather than a full-length album.

Filed under: New releases, 2020 releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Potter's Daughter

More info
http://officialpottersdaughter.bandcamp.com/album/weighted-keys

 

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