Folk can often be a polarizing genre for music fans: either you love it or you hate it. Of course, just like with “indie” or “electro,” labeling an artist as simply “folk” doesn’t really describe much about how he or she might sound. Newbie Jessica Pratt is definitely a folk artist, but just how “folk” is she?
Despite the wide variety of sounds and influences that have emerged over the past decade or so, there are a few notable folk queens who reign supreme: wacky baby-talker Joanna Newsom, the Regina Spektor of about three albums ago, and even to a lesser (yet more accessible) degree, The Idler Wheel… era Fiona Apple. These women are just some of the more recognizable faces of folk, freak-folk, anti-folk, folk-rock, etc.
With Jessica Pratt, what we’re dealing with is more of a classic folk. What makes the young San Francisco singer so appealing is that she feels somehow less modern than these aforementioned ladies. The romantic notion of “a girl and her guitar” may feel somewhat outdated, but it also may be time to re-think it. If Jessica Pratt’s nostalgic and warm self-titled debut had been released around the time of say, Joni Mitchell, it wouldn’t have sounded a note out of place.
Her potential for broad appeal comes from the simplicity of the music Jessica Pratt makes; as I suggested before, it’s pretty much just the singer and her guitar. Her voice is delicate yet oozing in warmth, comfort, and wise-beyond-her-years type wisdom. At times, her subtle yet playful vocals had me likening her to a female Devendra Banhart.
Throughout Jessica Pratt, she evokes a type of dreamy loneliness that goes down as easy as a hot cup of tea. On “Night Faces,” the album opener and first single, Jessica quietly croons, “You know I spent a million tears trying to dig myself out all these years/ And I had a hard time to get me down.” Has she lived a few more lives than she’s letting on?
Nothing is too neat or tidy on Jessica Pratt, which creates the perfect intimate atmosphere. The folksy and tranquil “Half Twain the Jesse” opens with the most gentle “oohing” this side of the Mississippi. “Hollywood” is a classic tale of ambition, home, and loneliness. “Midnight Wheels” is a weary song for late nights, starry skies, and warm blankets. When Jessica sings, “those midnight wheels are running all the time,” you’ll want to stop running yourself and simply enjoy.
The enchanting DIY quality and weathered, timeless feel of Jessica Pratt makes it an enjoyable and surprisingly moving debut. Completely cohesive throughout its eleven tracks of gentle, dreamy acoustic sounds, it never get olds or boring. The young singer-songwriter may just find herself at the center of a modern-day classic folk revival.
3.5 / 5 bars