Friday ACL Fest 2018 Record Reviews
Natalie Prass
The Future and the Past (ATO)
Reviewed by Michael Toland, Fri., Oct. 12, 2018
Natalie Prass' second album takes inspiration from classic pop songwriting while imagining a new future. Though grounded in the warm-bath soul of the Seventies and slick pop of the Eighties, the Cleveland native and producer/childhood pal Matthew E. White give the tracks an electronic gleam and rhythm-focused arrangements, letting her breathy soprano soar. Soulful single "Short Court Style" makes the strongest case for her vision, though the sultry "The Fire" and reticular "Ship Go Down" demonstrate a delightfully diverse range. If the midpoint between The Future and the Past is modernity, Natalie Prass nails it. (Noon, American Express stage)