Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Unlike other “frontwomen,” who start bands because they need breaks from their difficult lives as models and actresses, Potter is actually a very legit musician. The fact that she looks like if Heidi Klum dove headfirst into Silver Lake is really a minor point by comparison. Underneath her modelesque stature, Potter’s got the soul of a purebred rock ’n’ roller. Mixing smooth and sultry crooning with the occasional sandpaper-and-Jack Daniel’s howling, Potter evokes everything from the Followill brothers to Johnny Cash to Courtney Love in her music. - Brien Overly