Very pleasing discovery of a handful of copies of Jessica Pratt's debut LP, first released in 2012, which, if nothing else, makes me feel very old indeed, nearly as old as the soul that seemed to communicate these songs. I'm not old enough, however, to forget how I felt on hearing these ten perfect tracks on their release, one of those few moments when you're instantly aware you're in the presence of something truly great. Time has only strengthened the power of Pratt's songwriting here, which was simply recorded and mostly unadorned some five years before their release and likely with no audience in mind, and yet carried with it an immediate power, her words poetic yet unfussy, her voice utterly unique, like how you might have felt on first hearing Karen Dalton, Bridget St John or even Nico but entirely alive in the here and now. On her first visit to Europe, I followed her across shows in London, Paris and Berlin. These songs compelled me to. I've yet to do the same for anyone else before or since. Many more words have been spilt and accolades afforded to Pratt for the music that followed long after this record, and deservedly so too, though nothing gets close to the shock and awe here. Beauty as power remains undefeated. If you somehow do not own this record, you are now fortunate enough to put that right.
FFO: Bridget St John, Nico, Karen Dalton, Field Commander Ali
