Leaving behind her longtime band
the Nocturnals -- in name, at least; a fair number of the members show up here, including her drummer/husband
Matt Burr --
Grace Potter also leaves country in the dust on her second solo album,
Midnight. Teaming with Los Angeles-based producer
Eric Valentine -- he's best known for heavier stuff like
Queens of the Stone Age (he even brought in
Nick Oliveri to sing some backup vocals here) but also has done work with progressive bluegrass band
Nickel Creek --
Potter dives headfirst into pure pop with
Midnight, creating a gleaming confection that, at its best, could be mistaken for late-'80s AOR. Such submersion in gloss is bound to alienate fans who've long favored her Americana authenticity but
Midnight bears the same considered construction as her four albums with
the Nocturnals; the surface just happens to sparkle. At first, that sheen seems blinding: the neo-new wave synths grin along with glam stomps and disco allusions, guitars play to the rafters but are still overshadowed by vocal hooks halfway between
Heart and
Stevie Nicks or perhaps informed by the urgent revivalism of
HAIM or even memories of early
Madonna.
Potter isn't posturing here. She's embraced every cliche that comes with this retro album rock and that enthusiasm certainly gives
Midnight panache -- she's every bit as passionate here as she was on the rawer
The Lion the Beast the Beat -- but what gives the album resonance is how her clever songs keep
Valentine's supremely SoCal production from playing like aural candy. Both
Potter and
Valentine delight in celebrating and inverting the cliches of overblown '80s AOR and that's what makes
Midnight such a fun trip. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
![Carnegie Hall 1970 [Live]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0093624885146_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Carnegie Hall 1970 [Live]")