Neil Potter's new release, "Shipwrecked," delivers a passionate depiction of grief and desolation, with another person treading water as a relationship sinks under the surface. It's almost a master class in calling itself "music." Potter has been soaked in the art of making music since he was a teenager, decades of performing, mentoring, and learning hovering over his shoulder, shuffles all that hard-won streetcorner soul on its side by serving it to himself like dinner.
"Shipwrecked" is, at heart, a double confession. Potter lets the song emerge as a duet between two shattered souls, both holding onto their visions of life after release. One is the sound of a man in despair, attempting to pull himself out from an ever-deepening hole that threatens to swallow him whole. The other knows they are flawed, but they are forever caught up in a self-destructive cycle, sucking everyone around them into their vortex of insanity and destruction. This sort of dynamic tension makes the track feel devastatingly gentle, as if we're watching a relationship crumble in real time.
It is the clarity of Potter's storytelling that makes "Shipwrecked" resonate so deeply. The emotional stakes feel immediate, the waterline rises with every line, every entreaty, every moment of surrender. Yet the beautiful thing about the book is how he traces the downfall, never sensationalizing the hurt, only making it clear with truth and nuance.
Potter's longtime dream of creating music with building blocks is evident here. His years of travel and study under international mentors, performing across the country, and shaping future musicians also hone his perspective, enabling him to depict turmoil with uncanny accuracy. "Shipwrecked" is not just a display of technical prowess, it's also an example of a musician unafraid to confront emotional truth.