Dave Potts is a 2003 and 2004 Kerrville New Folk Finalist.
'Days Like These' has been picked as a Top 12 Independant Album by Performing Songwriter Magazine! Here's what they had to say;
"Honesty is the key to great music, and Dave Potts, with his refreshing, open-hearted songs, understands this well. On Days Like These, Potts explores the tiny battles and victories in the everyday. He explores his faith, his hometown and himself with an unabashed straightforwardness.
Potts' songs are a mellow, sun-dappled blend of Gordon Lightfoot's breezy folk and James Taylor's intimate song craft. He's a regular guy singing songs about regular folks. The glittering mandolin and nostalgic autumn imagery on "Ferris Wheel" make a listener long for the melancholic sweetness of October. In "Hamilton Road" and "His Front Row Seat", Potts draws bittersweet portraits of the simple joys in his characters' lives. On every song, whether joyous or sad, Potts' overwhelming love of life comes through and fills the listener with peacefulness." -Performing Songwriter, July/August 2002.
A Review of Days Like These by www.gritz.net, The Online Southern Music Magazine, Nov. 2001;
Days Like These
Dave Potts
"What a pleasant surprise. When I slid this cd into my player, I had no idea that the lyrics and voice and acoustic guitar of this talented young man would have such a profound effect on me.
Potts begins with a contemporary Christian tune called "No Other Explanation," with poetic and introspective lyrics. He moves between positive songs of love for God (To Know You Then"), love for life ("On the Alabama Plains," "Hamilton Road"), and love for his wife ("Amanda Bramlett," "Only Once a Life"). Of the thirteen tunes here, there's not a single weak spot. Absolutely beautiful songs, song in a style that I can only compare to James Taylor crossed with Kevn Kinney. yes, I know that's an odd comparison, but if you are familiar with both artists, listen to Potts and tell me I am wrong.
This disc will gather no dust in my cd rack. I plan to play it anytime I need a spiritual lift."
-Michael Buffalo Smith, gritz.net
Review of 'Days Like These' by Opelika/Auburn News, Dave's hometown newspaper;
With his 11th album, Auburn's own Dave Potts has created a quiet, nostalgic and revealing album of acoustic ballads that beautifully balances the heart and soul, love and longing. There's nothing pretentious or melodramatic about Potts' simplistic approach to the everyday miracles of life. Though not solely a religious record, 'Days Like These' through tracks like 'Ordinary Life' and 'No Other Explanation', does convey Potts' personal spiritual quests and his discovery of inner peace. 'Days Like These' is an album of simple sincerity and its standout songs paint vivid landscapes of memory, hope and understanding. Potts is at the top of his game when singing about the mundane splendor of small-town life, those stolen moments we so often overlook. Potts' soothing voice and gentle guitar strumming easily bridges the gap between the spiritual and the secular, allowing the listener to experience the subtle changes without feeling betrayed or preached at. 'Days Like These' is a record for anyone who enjoys honest, quality songwriting.
Dave's Bio;
Dave Potts has always heard a calling. When he was 19-years-old it led him away from college and across the country armed with a guitar, a head full of songs and a determined spirit. In the next four years, Dave traveled over 250,000 miles, performing at over 200 venues in 40 states. He released eight acoustic folk recordings and gathered a following with his gentle-natured, soft-sung music. He found inspiration for many of his 400 original songs while living the life of a troubadour. The one thing he didn't find was a place to call home.
That would all change in the spring of 1998. That's when Dave found himself settled on the plains of Auburn, Alabama. It was there that he discovered Christianity and its place in his music, as well as a simple style of life that suited his personality and his career. His music took on a new flavor, inspired by his new-found faith and his new home. For the past three years, Dave has been touring extensively in the Southeast, assembling a large following in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and the Carolina's. While focusing on the Southeast region, Dave still continues to tour in other areas of the country.
He has just released his eleventh album, 'Days Like These', on his own independent label. On 'Days Like These', Dave continues writing songs inspired by love, nature and faith, while adding new dimension to his repertoire with stories of small town life and bringing his characters to life with simple honesty.
Dave performs at a wide variety of venues, including coffeehouses, churches and music festivals. After seven years of travelling solo, he now criss-crosses the country accompanied by his wife, Lara, and their first child, Christopher.
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