Returning to Toronto for the first time since the release earlier this year of an acclaimed sophomore LP that has rightfully drawn comparisons to Karen Dalton, Nick Drake and Judee Sill, Jessica Pratt introduced herself to the NXNE audience by modestly promising to "play some quiet music." What followed was a spellbinding ten-song set that featured most of On Your Own Love Again, as well as a pair of songs from her 2012 self-titled debut and the unreleased "Central Park."
The San Francisco singer's music is often described as delicate, fragile or ethereal, but on stage the relentless precision of her hypnotic fingerpicked melodies and distinctive phrasing gave Pratt a quietly commanding presence that held much of the crowd breathless as she played the looping "Greycedes" or jazzy single "Back, Baby." The only real disappointment came when Pratt's set was cut short abruptly, after a solo rendition of the hymn-like "Titles Under Pressure" pushed the singer past her allotted time.
The San Francisco singer's music is often described as delicate, fragile or ethereal, but on stage the relentless precision of her hypnotic fingerpicked melodies and distinctive phrasing gave Pratt a quietly commanding presence that held much of the crowd breathless as she played the looping "Greycedes" or jazzy single "Back, Baby." The only real disappointment came when Pratt's set was cut short abruptly, after a solo rendition of the hymn-like "Titles Under Pressure" pushed the singer past her allotted time.