Grace Potter
conceived of the concept for
Mother Road
on a cross-country trip from California to Vermont, a voyage she took in preparation for returning to her home state with her husband and son in tow. The relocation happened during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but unlike so many lockdown-inspired records,
has a gigantic sense of space: it's not about living alone so much as it is about connecting with the land as a way of rediscovering yourself. That road trip and its accompanying move dredged up old memories that
Potter
chose to process by making a bold, colorful roots rock record filled with funky rhythms and big hooks. Often,
seems to have a spiritual connection to
Sheryl Crow
-- there's a shared sense of classic rock adoration that's knowledgeable enough to sidestep cliches -- but
isn't patterning herself after any specific musician. Rather, she's following well-worn paths and finding new things to observe there, a quality that keeps
feeling fresh and alive. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine