Let’s get 2013 started with some bittersweet throwback, because here we have Jessica Pratt, whose acoustic folk style is so reminiscent of the 1960s and ’70s that she could have been collaborating with Stevie Nicks and all our other gals of the era. Melancholic yet sweet at the same time, “Night Faces” is back-to-basics goodness.
Pratt is both a musician and a poet. Lines like “You know I spent a million tears trying to dig myself out off all these years” are beautifully brought out by the finger-picking line of acoustic guitar she plays beneath it. She keeps the storyline tantalizingly mysterious, offering little explanation behind her carefully crafted phrases. This tendency when combined with the whispering of her vocals truly give the feeling that you walked in on a song specifically meant for one person. The effect is enough to give you goose bumps.