Natalie Prass
by Natalie Prass
  • Record Label: Sony
  • Release Date: Jan 27, 2015
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 71 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 71
  3. Negative: 3 out of 71
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  1. silver0730
    Jan 28, 2015
    10
    Great album by Natalie Prass! I was pleasantly surprised by how atmospheric it is--and, above all, it sounds genuine. The music being perfect for fall/winter is a huge plus for me.
  2. mjw49
    Jan 30, 2015
    10
    I have been waiting for this album it seems like years, now that i have it the wait was well worth it. Bird of Prey is one of the best songs i have heard in a long time, the horn and string arrangements are out of this world. Ms Prass has a wonderful voice traces of Feist,and Joni Mitchell do yourself a favor get this now!
  3. thaleslucas
    Jan 31, 2015
    10
    Been a while since I have not heard an album so pure and calm as this. Natalie shows her feelings as a magnificent and majestic form. So light and soft voice and the album lyricism is amazing. Indeed, this is one of the best albums I've heard so far.
  4. exodus9237
    Mar 18, 2015
    9
    By the time the first song ended, I was very impressed. I've never heard soimething so beutiful and perfectly arranged. Natalie Prass makes music you don't hear from any artist there is now, is music that you can't label with a present day genre. Her voice reminds you of simpler times in music and the music itself is great, a combination between long lost harmonies, and modern rythms. ABy the time the first song ended, I was very impressed. I've never heard soimething so beutiful and perfectly arranged. Natalie Prass makes music you don't hear from any artist there is now, is music that you can't label with a present day genre. Her voice reminds you of simpler times in music and the music itself is great, a combination between long lost harmonies, and modern rythms. A great listen, a different listen.… Expand
  5. JamesO2002
    May 5, 2023
    9
    A fantastic album with great vocals and perfect instrumentation. Fans of female-fronted folk music have to give this album a shot
  6. dijavantewow
    Jan 30, 2015
    8
    I really liked this album. There's something about it that reminds me of Sufjan Stevens, and it was a fun listen. I had never heard of her before this, but I'll take a listen again.
  7. Hackskeptic
    May 28, 2015
    8
    If there’s any awards for best produced and arranged albums of 2015 then “Natalie Prass” will be a contender. Singer/songwriter Prass delivers a collection of beautifully expressive odes to life, love and loss. Her whispered tones may often appear timid, but her storytelling is the key to what is a surprisingly compelling debut, of which “Bird Of Prey” is the astonishing highlight.
  8. All_ButTrU4
    Oct 11, 2021
    8
    A romantic fairytale told by a realist with a steady hand. Moments sparkle with the glitter of Disney movies and like the brothers grim backstorys for the disney princesses it coulors over dark moments. Like the abusive toxicity of the title track, a long enveloping confrontation of an emotionally abusive lover.
  9. Custom_Concerns
    Feb 1, 2015
    7
    Very enjoyable album. Strong songwriting coupled with a complete, albumized, and flowing listening experience makes Natalie Prass' debut record a must-listen for 2015. There are a few tracks that are not quite as strong as the others (namely Christy and It Is You), and the songwriting never really peaks or intensifies, but overall it is a well-crafted album that I will be returning to forVery enjoyable album. Strong songwriting coupled with a complete, albumized, and flowing listening experience makes Natalie Prass' debut record a must-listen for 2015. There are a few tracks that are not quite as strong as the others (namely Christy and It Is You), and the songwriting never really peaks or intensifies, but overall it is a well-crafted album that I will be returning to for the rest of the year.… Expand
  10. DRauchDoes2015
    Jun 14, 2015
    7
    While Natalie is obviously the star of her self-tited debut, it is in fact Matthew E. White's extensively detailed production job that keeps me coming back. The horns blare with triumph, the strings are grandiose, the woodwinds flutter around, mimicking Prass' vocal styling. Tracks like 'It Is You' and 'Christy' are so dramatic and carefully studied to sound carefree that they resemble aWhile Natalie is obviously the star of her self-tited debut, it is in fact Matthew E. White's extensively detailed production job that keeps me coming back. The horns blare with triumph, the strings are grandiose, the woodwinds flutter around, mimicking Prass' vocal styling. Tracks like 'It Is You' and 'Christy' are so dramatic and carefully studied to sound carefree that they resemble a theatre production number. Some tracks are forgettable, but the gems, particularly the opener, are really great. A solid debut record that prompts me to look forward to her follow-up, in hopes the entire project will be as lively as the high-notes of this one.… Expand
  11. longjetty7
    Jan 28, 2015
    6
    This album is okay. I was definitely intrigued by Natalie's delicate voice and the throwback 70s easy-listening style, but ultimately I was hoping for something a bit more innovative. Aside from the first two songs and maybe a few others, much of the album sounds like something my parents or grandparents would listen to. Nothing is wrong with it, per se, it just sounds a bit dated and generic.

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best Album of 2015
96
#96 Most Discussed Album of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Drowned In Sound
    Feb 24, 2015
    90
    The rich production and ambitious, multi-faceted arrangements provided by White’s Spacebomb crew are the perfect foil for Prass’s soft, exquisite voice and expressive, tear-stained songs, such that the overwhelming impression of the LP is, against the odds, one of triumph; of beauty both wrangled out of and amplified immeasurably by loss.
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  2. PopMatters
    Feb 11, 2015
    70
    Natalie Prass shows she’s got the complex stuff down pat, but getting back to the basics might be the next stage of development that takes her to another level.
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  3. Pretty Much Amazing
    Feb 10, 2015
    83
    Hats off to this fantastic singer-songwriter for not only emerging from the fog so quickly, but also for crafting a dynamic album that is bigger than its size and very deserving of the praise it will undoubtedly receive.
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