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June 2, 2006With a soulful, bluesy voice that draws frequent comparisons to Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin, Grace Potter and her band The Nocturnals are ready for the big time. Authentic and original, the quartet's rootsy sound has won fans not just in the band's native Vermont, but also in cities all over the country. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals performed at World Cafe Live, as part of WXPN's Live Fridays concert series.

The band members first got together in 2002, when they met at St. Lawrence University in New York, and immediately began writing songs in earnest. Recorded with Chuck Eller in Vermont, the band's debut album, Original Soul, was released in 2004 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Subsequent touring found it opening shows for Dave Matthews Band, Trey Anastasio and Derek Trucks.

For its newest album, Nothing but the Water, the band once again recruited Eller to record — this time in a nearly 150-year-old barn on the campus of Goddard College. Continuing in the bluesy roots-rock vein of its predecessor, the album puts guitarist Scott Tournet's resonator guitar leads and Potter's keyboard and vocal work front and center. The combination of impeccable musicianship and clever songwriting is sure to please old fans and win new ones.

Listen to last week's WXPN Live Fridays concert, featuring World Party and Allison Moorer.