The Lion the Beast the Beat
{{Infobox album
| name = The Lion The Beast The Beat
| type = studio
| artist = Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
| cover = Grace Potter and the Nocturnals The Lion The Beast The Beat.png
| border = yes
| alt =
| released = June 12, 2012
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Melodic rock,{{cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/grace-potter-the-nocturnals-the-lion-the-beast-the-beat/|title=Grace Potter & the Nocturnals: The Lion The Beast The Beat|work=American Songwriter|first=Hal|last=Horowitz|year=2012|access-date=March 28, 2021}} experimental rock
| length = 45:43
| label = Hollywood
| producer = Dan Auerbach, Grace Potter, Jim Scott
| prev_title = Live from the Legendary Sun Studio
| prev_year = 2012
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
The Lion The Beast The Beat is the fourth studio album by American rock band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, released on June 12, 2012. The album debuted at 17 on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart,{{cite web|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=grace potter|chart=all}}|title=Grace Potter - Chart history | publisher = billboard.com | accessdate = 2013-02-03}} selling 24,000 units in its opening week. The album has sold 159,000 copies in the US as of June 2015.{{cite magazine|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150617165737/http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |archivedate= June 17, 2015 |url=http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases |title=Upcoming Releases |magazine=Hits Daily Double |publisher=HITS Digital Ventures }}
Reception
Metacritic, a website which assigns television, music, and film an average score based on several reviews, gave the album a 70 out of 100, indicating positive reviews. Review website Consequence of Sound stated that "Potter's vocals are gorgeous as always, but the overall tone of the Nocturnals has arguably changed — forgoing country for experimental rock, they’ve also successfully woven electronic influences into the mix".{{cite magazine|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/06/album-review-grace-potter-and-the-nocturnals-the-lion-the-beast-the-beat/ |title=Album Review: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – The Lion The Beast The Beat |magazine=Consequence of Sound |date=2012-06-15 |accessdate=2013-02-03}} The New York Times said that The Lion The Beast The Beat is "the fourth, and by far best, studio album by this band".{{cite web |url=http://www.thisissomewhere.com/2012/06/11/new-york-times-review-of-the-lion-the-beast-the-beat/ |title=New York Times review of the lion the beast the beat // Grace Potter and the Nocturnals |publisher=This Is Somewhere |date=2012-06-11 |accessdate=2013-02-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304134732/http://www.thisissomewhere.com/2012/06/11/new-york-times-review-of-the-lion-the-beast-the-beat/ |archivedate=2016-03-04 }} AllMusic, whilst calling the album overall a "creative leap" and Potter's melodies "solid", considered some of her lyric choices "...a bit clunky" and added that the band compensated with "passion, execution, and smart production choices and arrangements".{{cite web|last=Jurek|first=Thom|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-lion-the-beast-the-beat-mw0002352554|title=The Lion The Beast The Beat - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals|publisher=allmusic.com|accessdate=2013-02-03}}
Mickey Woods of Glamour magazine considered the album a mixed result, commenting "which I believe to be intentional". He also called the album "frenzied and scattered, but incredibly dynamic", complimenting the instruments and Potter's "totally electric" voice and compared her voice to Jefferson Airplane.{{cite news|last=Woods|first=Mickey|url=http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2012/06/grace-potter.html|title=Grace Potter's Wild Heart: Review of The Lion The Beast The Beat|date=2012-06-12|publisher=glamour.com|accessdate=2013-02-03}} Review website PopMatters also gave the album a positive review, noting that Potter has the "vocal arsenal of a Greek God—part Joplin, part Boudica, all lethal weapon" and calling the album a "mischievously devilish quandary".{{cite news|last=James|first=Matt|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/159666-grace-potter-the-nocturnals-the-lion-the-beast-the-beat/|title=Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: The Lion, The Beast, The Beat|date=2012-06-13|publisher=popmatters.com|accessdate=2013-02-03}} PremierGuitar.com also gave the album a positive review, complimenting several of the songs including the title track and the album a "collection of highly inspired songs to deliver a full range of foot-stompers, piercing hooks, and driving melody".{{cite news|last=Jeffers|first=Tessa|url=http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Jul/Album_Review_Grace_Potter_the_Nocturnals_The_Lion_The_Beast_The_Beat.aspx|title=Album Review: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - "The Lion The Beast The Beat"|date=July 2012|publisher=premierguitar.com|accessdate=2013-02-03}}
Track listing
All tracks are written by Grace Potter, except where noted.
{{Track listing
| title1 = The Lion the Beast the Beat
| length1 = 5:26
| title2 = Never Go Back
| length2 = 3:40
| writer2 = Potter, Dan Auerbach, Scott Tournet, Matt Burr, Benny Yurco
| title3 = Parachute Heart
| length3 = 4:08
| writer3 = Potter, Tournet
| title4 = Stars
| length4 = 3:35
| title5 = Timekeeper
| length5 = 4:39
| title6 = Loneliest Soul
| length6 = 3:35
| writer6 = Potter, Auerbach, Tournet, Burr, Yurco
| title7 = Turntable
| length7 = 4:01
| title8 = Keepsake
| length8 = 3:34
| title9 = Runaway
| length9 = 3:19
| writer9 = Potter, Auerbach, Tournet, Burr, Yurco
| title10 = One Heart Missing
| length10 = 4:21
| title11 = The Divide
| length11 = 5:20
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Deluxe Edition Tracks
| title12 = Roulette
| length12 = 3:59
| title13 = All Over You
| length13 = 3:32
| title14 = Stars (feat. Kenny Chesney)
| length14 = 3:10
| title15 = Ragged Company (feat. Willie Nelson)
| length15 = 4:38
| writer15 = Potter, Burr, Tournet, Bryan Dondero
}}
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2012)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Billboard200|17|artist=Grace Potter|rowheader=true}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardRock|7|artist=Grace Potter|rowheader=true}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardTastemaker|2|artist=Grace Potter|rowheader=true}} |
Personnel
Adapted credits from the booklet.{{cite AV media notes|title=The Lion the Beast the Beat|others=Grace Potter and the Nocturnals|publisher=Hollywood|year=2012|type=booklet|id=D001773492}}
The Nocturnals
- Grace Potter – vocals (all tracks), guitar (1, 11, 13), tambourine (1, 3, 4, 8, 11), keyboards (2-8, 13), Wurlitzer (6), Mellotron (2), synth bass (7), Hammond organ (1, 3, 9, 10, 14, 15), pipe organ (1), percussion (7), clock (5), drums (13)
- Scott Tournet – guitars (1-14), Echoplex (1, 7), keyboards (2, 5), bass guitar (6), lap steel guitar (3, 4), vocals (3, 6, 9, 11), loops (4), noise (5, 8), ambience (4, 10), drums (13)
- Benny Yurco – guitars (1-7, 10, 11, 13), synth bass (1), vocals (3, 6, 7, 11), sitar (6), Echoplex (3, 7), bass guitar (8, 9, 12, 13), ambience (10), noise (5, 11), drums (13)
- Matt Burr – drums (1-13), tambourine (1), vocals (3, 6, 7, 9, 11), percussion (7, 8, 13), trash cans (8), shaker (9)
- Michael Libramento – drums (1, 12), bass guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 11), agogô bells (2), vocals (3, 9, 11), keyboards (9), tambourine (1, 9, 13), Moog bass (10)
Additional personnel
- Dan Auerbach – Casio drum loop (2), vocals & handclaps (6), producer
- Jim Scott – percussion (3), cowbell (12)
- David Campbell – string arrangements (1, 4, 10, 11)
- Geoffrey Weiss – claves (13)
- Larry Franklin – fiddle (14)
- Willie Nelson – vocals, gut-string guitar and Trigger (15)
- Mickey Raphael – harmonica (15)
- John Barlow Jarvis – piano (14, 15)
- Kenny Greenberg – electric guitar (14, 15)
- Michael Rhodes – bass guitar (14, 15)
- Pat Buchanan – electric guitar (14, 15)
- Dan Dugmore – steel guitar (14, 15)
- Chad Cromwell – drums (14, 15)
- Kenny Chesney – backing vocals (14)
- Alison Krauss – backing vocals (14)
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Grace Potter and the Nocturnals}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lion the Beast the Beat}}
Category:Grace Potter and the Nocturnals albums
Category:Hollywood Records albums
Category:Albums produced by Dan Auerbach
Category:Albums produced by Jim Scott (producer)