Jo Potter – 8 Circles

Jo Potter – 8 Circles / 16 Tracks / 2003 Self / http://www.jopotter.com / Reviewed 20 April 2006

The aloof look of Potter on the cover of this disc does not allow for easy assumption of what exactly will hit listeners once this album start. This lack of information is only continued during the opening strains of “Walk Away”, a track that ultimately brings Potter’s style of pop and rock to listeners’ ears. This disc is three years old, and seems to show that age in each of the tracks; there is a manufactured type of “badness” that will hit listeners quickly.

However, everything just seems too perfect; the angry growl of Potter seems to be a less successful “rebellion” against society in the same vein of irony as Pink. “Round and Round” is the “title track” is many ways; first off, the style of the track would make it an easy slam-dunk for Jo Potter and secondly, the title of the disc is repeated quite a few times during the track. There is nothing major done to combat the general “cookie cutter” sound of this album, but I do not see where this is an absolute necessity for Potter. If ey wants to create an album that does not challenge the conceptions of any of eir listeners, that eir prerogative.

There is nothing wrong with the quality of Potter’s voice during “8 Circles”; in fact, this may be the strongest suit of Potter as ey really pushes the disc forward during songs like “Valentine’s Day Song”. There are sixteen tracks on this disc, something that might conceivably be syncopated for greater effect. This means that Potter could cut out four or five tracks, the disc would be able to propel itself better than it does with the added weight of these tracks. Each of the songs on “8 Circles” could make it to the light rock radio stations that have popped up all over the dial, but a Potter track would have a hard time trying to make any in-roads on contemporary pop or rock stations. Again, if this is the goal of Potter, more power to eir; I just know that however good this album may sound, there is little in the way of dynamism and evolution of Potter’s own style on this disc. This decreases the amount of enjoyment that I can derive from this disc. If someone wants a disc that they can jam out to in the car, but something that is not too heady, “8 Circles” may just fill that void well.

Top Tracks: Seduction, Walk Away

Rating: 4.3/10

[JMcQ]