Natalie Prass

Virginia singer-songwriter Natalie Prass has sung backup for Jenny Lewis, and there’s more than a passing resemblance to Lewis in the sweet, sunny heartbreak songs on Prass’ debut LP. But Prass’ vocal style is cutesier, and she leans harder on her retro sensibilities: These songs would be at home in a smoky lounge circa 1973, from the horn-laced opener “My Baby Don’t Understand Me” to the
baroque-pop brooder “Christy.” There’s high drama in the arrangements, but they’re playful, too. Then there’s “It Is You” — a closing track so frilly and delicate it almost feels like a sendup of Prass’ own Disney tendencies.