The Lion the Beast the Beat

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,[1] selling 24,000 units in its opening week. The album has sold 159,000 copies in the US as of June 2015.[2]

The Lion The Beast The Beat
Studio album by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Released	June 12, 2012
Genre	Roots rock, experimental rock, hard rock, funk rock
Length	45:43
Label	Hollywood
Producer	Dan Auerbach, Grace Potter, Jim Scott
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals chronology
Live from the Legendary Sun Studio (2012) The Lion The Beast The Beat (2012)

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".[3] The New York Times said that The Lion The Beast The Beat is "the fourth, and by far best, studio album by this band".[4] 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".[5]

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.[6] 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".[7] 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".[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Grace Potter, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Lion the Beast the Beat"		5:26
2.	"Never Go Back"	Potter, Dan Auerbach, Scott Tournet, Matt Burr, Benny Yurco	3:40
3.	"Parachute Heart"	Potter, Tournet	4:08
4.	"Stars"		3:35
5.	"Timekeeper"		4:39
6.	"Loneliest Soul"	Potter, Auerbach, Tournet, Burr, Yurco	3:35
7.	"Turntable"		4:01
8.	"Keepsake"		3:34
9.	"Runaway"	Potter, Auerbach, Tournet, Burr, Yurco	3:19
10.	"One Heart Missing"		4:21
11.	"The Divide"		5:20

Deluxe Edition Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Roulette"		3:59
13.	"All Over You"		3:32
14.	"Stars (feat. Kenny Chesney)"		3:10
15.	"Ragged Company (feat. Willie Nelson)"	Potter, Burr, Tournet, Bryan Dondero	4:38

Charts

Chart (2012)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[9]	17
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[10]	7
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[11]	2

Personnel

The Nocturnals

• Grace Potter - vocals, guitar, tambourine, keyboards, Mellotron, synth bass, Hammond organ, pipe organ, percussion
• Scott Tournett - guitars, Echoplex, keyboards, bass, lap steel guitar, vocals, loops, noise, ambience
• Benny Yurco - guitars, synth bass, vocals, sitar, Echoplex, bass, ambience, noise
• Matt Burr - drums, tambourine, vocals, percussion, trash cans, shaker
• Michael Libramento - drums, bass, agogô bells, vocals, keyboards, tambourine, Moog bass

Additional personnel

• Dan Auerbach - Casio drum loop on "Never Go Back", vocals & handclaps "Loneliest Soul", producer
• Jim Scott - percussion on "Parachute Heart"
• David Campbell - string arrangements on "The Lion the Beast the Beat", "Stars", "One Heart Missing" and "The Divide"

References

1. "Grace Potter - Chart history". billboard.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
2. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015.
3. "Album Review: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – The Lion The Beast The Beat". Consequence of Sound. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
4. "New York Times review of the lion the beast the beat // Grace Potter and the Nocturnals". This Is Somewhere. 2012-06-11. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
5. Jurek, Thom. "The Lion The Beast The Beat - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
6. Woods, Mickey (2012-06-12). "Grace Potter's Wild Heart: Review of The Lion The Beast The Beat". glamour.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
7. James, Matt (2012-06-13). "Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: The Lion, The Beast, The Beat". popmatters.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
8. Jeffers, Tessa (July 2012). "Album Review: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - "The Lion The Beast The Beat"". premierguitar.com. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
9. "Grace Potter Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
10. "Grace Potter Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
11. "Grace Potter Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.