In early June, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals played a pair of New Hampshire shows as part of Child & Family Services’ Concerts For The Cause. As mighty as the headliners were, singer-songwriter Jen Crowell caused quite a stir with her fantastic opening set. After impressing the crowd at the Lebanon Opera House in Manchester, Cold Front, Crowell’s album, turned into such a hot-selling item, more needed to be produced backstage to meet the high demand. Fans that have followed Grace Potter & The Nocturnals since their “Gumbo Moon” days are already quite familiar with Crowell. Not only has the lovely songstress been the band’s tour manager, she was also an early member of the Nocturnals. With Cold Front, those outside her Vermont base can finally see what the fuss is all about.Cold Front receives high-profile assists from Potter, guitarist Scott Tournet and The Leaves’ Aya Inoue but it soars on Crowell’s ethereally warm vocals and wonderfully dreamy melodies. Reminiscent of Natalie Merchant, Crowell’s sultry voice provides a welcoming invitation into her world. On songs like “Hey Dixon” and “Marvelous,” her vocals glide smoothly over the rolling Gillian Welch/David Rawlings guitars producing a powerful vibe that transcends its coffee house roots. “But Instead” is a finely crafted bit of folk-pop and on “Seven Days,” Crowell slips into heavenly chanteuse mode.
Cold Front seems born from those Vermont winter nights when a roaring fire isn’t enough to keep the soul warm. It’s a superb offering from a talented singer who has unselfishly devoted her time and efforts towards the Potter collective and Crowell deserves her moment in the spotlight. Like most thing of value, Crowell’s self-produced album isn’t the easiest to acquire and falls into the category of treasures that are well worth the effort of locating.
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