Potion
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Acoustic folk/pop/jazz
Status:
Most recent release, Parallel Worlds (EP, 2010)
See also:
Potion's site
Comparisons:
Dave's True Story, Once Blue, The Pretenders, Stereolab
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Potion is a folk-rock duo made up of Annie Maley and Michel Diaz de Bedoya that is hard to pin down. Their press pack advertises them as James Taylor-flavored West Coast Jazz—whatever that means. The songs are catchy, and Annie Maley's vocals are confident and competent without being flashy. Michel's backing voices add just the touch of support and harmony to flesh out their sound nicely. (jjhanson@att.net)
Recommended first album:
Band of Outsiders
Recordings:
- Among Dreams (2000)
- Circa ep (2002)
- Band of Outsiders (2005)
- Parallel Worlds (EP, 2010)
Among Dreams
Release info:
2000—self-released
Availability:
See website for availability
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Annie Maley
Michel Diaz de Bedoya
Produced by:
Potion
Comments:
Each song is quite a bit different than the other, pulling in a wide variety of influences. "Carousel", the opening track, has a touch of reggae, and the next song, "Clinging to No One" has a bit of a samba feel to it. Overall their music is like a spring breeze, its reminiscent of a lot of things, while still completely fresh. The duo wrote all tracks on the album, and their songwriting is accomplished, using a wide variety of styles and instruments. (jjhanson@att.net)
Circa ep
Release info:
2002—Blue Orange Records
Availability:
See website for availability
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Annie Maley
Michel Diaz de Bedoya
Produced by:
Potion
Comments:
Bright energetic pop with Annie Maley's rich voice leading the way, almost in counterpoint to their bouncy sound. Very interesting conjunction of catchy sounds. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
Band of Outsiders
Release info:
2005—Blue Orange Records
Availability:
See website for availability
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Annie Maley
Michel Diaz de Bedoya
Produced by:
Potion
Comments:
A really catchy, lively album. Good songwriting and and again I'm really intrigued by how the almost-smoky, almost-dark vocals play against the bouncy pop instrumentation. Occasionally The Pretenders' influence feels strong, other times there's no likeness at all. Sometimes I hear a touch of Stereolab, too. Pretty delightful. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
|
Artists commented on by jjhanson @ att.net |
|
Other Commentators... |
