Here’s Natalie Prass at SXSW in March with “Why Don’t You Believe in Me?” produced by Matthew E. White:
Her self-titled debut album has been out for a few months, but the L.A. Times finally reviewed it this week:
Nine effervescent songs that swirl with brass, strings and Prass’ acrobatic voice, “Natalie Prass” surrounds a classic American songsmith with vivid arrangements. She cites composers including Stephen Sondheim, Irving Berlin and Burt Bacharach’s work with Dionne Warwick as touchstones, and their influence is apparent. Bacharach’s exclamatory arrangements are certainly an influence, but Prass and company are their own thing.
In yet another gig lined up by MusicFile Productions, Prass made a stop at Hang Fire on March 25th. Tom and I both fought the darkness to get a few shots of the show, which brought a great crowd out on a Wednesday night, but we’ve been a little slack about getting pics posted.
Prass has an easy charisma and, with nothing flashy at all, commanded the space. If you haven’t heard of her yet, you will soon.
Ryley Walker opened with a powerful set, but we didn’t manage any photos at all since he remained in the abject darkness of the Hang Fire stage. Prass wandered around the room, and that’s when Tom and I took most of these shots — the first few are his, the next set mine (I resorted to flash, which I hate). Not ideal conditions for photos, but you can get a sense of the vibe in the room:
