Natalie Prass - Natalie Prass

Most words used to describe Natalie Prass's voice or sound come across, however unintentionally, as patronizing.  Adorable, precious, cartoonish. All arguably accurate, all more than a little disparaging. It's understandable why Prass has bristled at the now popular observation that she sounds like a "Disney princess", a comment for which its author has apologized and been subjected to a --probably fair-- amount of backlash.  That said, she did record and close her album with "It Is You", a song during which it would be understandable for listeners to look around expectantly waiting for animated bluebirds to fly in and land on their shoulders.  Prass's lovely, delicate -- see what I mean --  voice aside, the Disney comment is really onto something.  In films, particularly those made by a certain mouse-fronted production studio, the past is shown not as it is, but as we remember, or maybe, more accurately, imagine it.  It's usually the same even if the film was made during the time it represents.  It's a subtly heightened reality.  Too perfect, too clean, too safe.  Prass's album is fairly similar.  Although it is technically an R&B revivalist record, with some southern gospel and country leanings, it doesn't sound like anything ever released by Stax or Motown.  Like a golden-era Hollywood musical, Prass's album calls back to a time or place that kind of looks and feels like our world, but is in absolutely no way real.  The arrangements lay the foundation, as they build, flutter, swing, and flourish just like you think they should.  At times, they feel almost obvious.  Unlike film sets, though, they aren't facades.  These are incredibly well-written, fairly complicated arrangements, carefully crafted to drive home Prass's aesthetic. The songs are great, too.  Top to bottom, there isn't an even mediocre song on the album.  The soulful "My Baby Don't Understand Me", "Why Don't you Believe in Me", and "Your Fool" hit all the right notes, with tastefully memorable melodies, killer bridges, and spot-on delivery.  Even the aforementioned "It Is You" is remarkable.  It does sound like a number from a classic musical, but it does more than simply nail the style.  It plays like a timeless, film-transcending number, a "Somewhere" instead of a "Gee, Officer Krupke".  It usually took teams -- or at least pairs -- of time-honored, world-renowned songwriters to come up with material like this.  Prass is in complete command of her voice, songwriting, and sound.  So, if you're going to imagine her as an adorable bespectacled anthropomorphic woodland creature, so be it. Just remember that that librarian squirrel is the incredibly gifted guitarist, vocalist, and composer that put together one of the most endlessly enjoyable albums of the year.