16. Personal travelogue of a musical journey

Her debut album is a summation of her experiences to date, as the pursuit of her muse has led her on an unlikely trek from the New South Wales countryside to Singapore and finally New York City. And it is exactly through my several travels to New York City I’ve had the pleasure of meeting this gifted musician.

The June Second of Jazz profile is the Australian-born singer, composer and pianist, Kathleen Potton.

Potton recently released her debut album, NERO. The title is a winking homage to the influential, Laura Nyro. Potton has combined the lessons of Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush and other female songwriters both musically and in the distinctive paths they have cleared through diverse genres. In this way, she has created a compelling, revealingly personal travelogue of her own journey in music.

Her profound passion for all music has resulted in a unique style. Influences of artful pop, jazz and R&B accumulate on this album to pleasant and alluring harmonies, with some imaginative and unexpected harmonic turns. The band features pianist Frank Locastro, drummer Bill Campbell and guitarist Ben Eunson.

Potton’s unstrained voice and singing style adds a pleasant vibe to her compositions. Among my favorite tracks on this album are “Montauk” and the somewhat dreamy song, “Simple Whishes”.

I believe NERO would be a beautiful addition to your record collection. Listen to Kathleen Potton's debut album on iTunes or Spotify.