Critically acclaimed vocal powerhouse Sarah Potenza has announced two new shows at Seven Steps Up in Spring Lake (Grand Rapids), MI on July 26 (get tickets HERE) and at SPACE in Evanston, IL on July 30th (get tickets HERE).
Known to millions as a semi-finalist on season 8 of The Voice, Sarah has since gone on to release a critically-acclaimed debut solo LP ‘Monster’ in 2016, which prompted Rolling Stone to gush, “Potenza is to the blues what Adele is to pop: a colossal-voiced singer who merges her old-school influences with a modernistic sound.”
Her latest LP, ‘Road to Rome,’ is an album of self-empowered R&B, swaggering soul, and contemporary blues. Co-written by Potenza, her husband Ian Crossman and friend Justin Wiseman, produced by Jordan Brooke Hamlin (Indigo Girls, Lucy Wainwright Roche), and recorded with a female-heavy cast of collaborators, the record isn’t just her own story. It’s the story of all artists — particularly women, who remain the minority within the male-dominated music industry — who’ve learned to trust their instincts, refusing to let mainstream trends dilute their own artistic statements.
ABOUT SARAH POTENZA’S ‘ROAD TO ROME’:
Just who is Sarah Potenza? She’s a songwriter. A bold, brassy singer. A businesswoman. A proud, loud-mouthed Italian-American from Providence, Rhode Island, with roots in Nashville and an audience that stretches across the Atlantic.
Filled with messages of self-worth, determination, and drive, Sarah Potenza’s ‘Road to Rome’ shines new light on the songwriter whose career already includes multiple albums as front-woman of Sarah and the Tall Boys, a game-changing appearance on The Voice, and an acclaimed solo debut titled Monster.
Writing sessions for Road to Rome took place aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean, as well as at her home in East Nashville. It was during the cruise that she first began writing songs with Justin Wiseman, a piano player from Austin, TX. For years, she and her husband, Ian Crossman, had worked together as a duo, splitting their musical duties more or less equally, writing songs with guitar in hand, and merging their very different influences. This was something different, though — something about the piano that allowed Potenza the chance to rediscover her own voice, making an album whose unique approach to soul music was entirely her own. Although Crossman and Wiseman’s contributions as co-writers can be heard throughout Road to Rome’s tracks, the album represents a strong shift in dynamic, with Potenza leading the charge.
When it came time to record ‘Road to Rome’ at MOXE, Jordan Brooke Hamlin’s Nashville-area studio, Potenza looked to a wide range of musicians for influence. She turned to Whitney Houston. To Lauryn Hill. To Pops Staples, the Dirty Projectors, RL Burnside, Bette Midler, and more. Those artists gave her inspiration not only on a musical level, but on an emotional and thematic level, too. They were artists who spoke with conviction, chasing their own muses into unique, personalized territory. Potenza did the same, turning Road to Rome into an album filled with everything from the torch song balladry of “Earthquake” (a love letter to Crossman, thanking him for years of support ) to the funky fire of “Dickerson and Queen” (where Potenza howls, swoons, and croons over bass grooves and swirling organ, reminding everyone that, “I don’t give a fuck about nothing but the music”). She even makes room for a piano-propelled cover of “Worthy,” originally written by Grammy-nominated icon Mary Gauthier, who personally sent the song to Potenza.
Released on International Women’s Day 2019, ‘Road to Rome’ is the sound of a songwriter taking the wheel and driving toward her own destination. This is Sarah Potenza’s strongest album to date: a battlecry from a soul singer and blues belter, shot through with pop melodies, rock & roll attitude, and absolutely zero fucks.
You can follow Sarah Potenza and stay up-to-date with all upcoming music, news and tour dates, as well as stream and purchase her music, via the following links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | SoundCloud | iTunes/Apple Music | YouTube | Deezer | Google Play | Amazon Music
