Soundtrack

Natalie Prass’ Soundtrack of Sisterhood

Singer-songwriter Natalie Prass crafts the confessional 1970s-style songs that one might expect from a woman who was until recently a member of Jenny Lewis' band, and will soon be hitting the road touring with Ryan Adams. Vogue recently praised her for her "sense of intimacy, reflection, and immediacy." While Ms. Prass has spent years in the Nashville scene, she is from the Tidewater region of Virginia, and chose a Virginia label, Spacebomb, to release her debut LP.

Natalie Prass: Hi, my name’s Natalie Prass, and this is my dinner party soundtrack.

Wendy and Bonnie, “Endless Pathway”


So, my first pick for my dinner party is a duo called Wendy and Bonnie, and this song is called “Endless Pathway.” Wendy and Bonnie are actually teenagers from the suburbs of San Francisco. Bonnie actually plays drums, and this was their only record that they made. These girls are awesome. This record, it’s called “Genesis.” Beautiful harmonies. When you’re singing with your sister, there’s just this undeniable, unifying quality that you just can’t… you can’t do that with everybody.

King, “Supernatural”


My dinner party, I’m imagining it’s my girlfriends coming over. It’s just, maybe the weekend. So, this is a good one for everybody walking in, getting a cocktail, hanging out, catching up kind of thing. My next song is a female trio called King. It’s actually two sisters in this group as well, and this song is called “Supernatural.” I chose them because they have undeniably chill energy. You can just tell they’re just really genuine, cool people. I listen to a lot of female singers, and I really gravitate towards the singers that don’t have to, kind of, overcompensate and be too showy. Really delicate. That’s why I love Dionne Warwick so much, Diana Ross, just these really pure voices, and King is kind of like the modern version of that.

King released an EP on SoundCloud recently. Prince’s manager emailed them and said, “Do you want to meet Prince?” Just one sentence. Anyway, they’ve ended up singing backgrounds for Prince. So, the moral of that story is, maybe if you release a three-song EP on SoundCloud, Prince’s manager will reach out to you and ask you to sing backgrounds for him.

Anita Baker, “Caught Up in the Rapture”


My third song is the most amazing R&B, 1986, feel-good anthem by Anita Baker, and it’s called “Caught Up In The Rapture.” Oh my god, the little scat intro she does, it just feels so good. This song’s ’80s glory. The band is so great. The bass man, he’s just playing like one note, but everybody else’s moving is amazing, and Anita Baker has a very sultry, low, pure voice. She is an R&B goddess. This is the part, you know, we’re all cleaning and we’re doing dishes, and we’re dancing and singing together, and that’s when this song is playing.

Natalie Prass, “Bird of Prey”


We are ending my Dinner Party Soundtrack with one of my own songs, and this one is called “Bird of Prey.” It’s kind of about somebody who just won’t leave you alone. Maybe you wanted that at some point, but then it just started to get a little out of hand. Hopefully that person is not at your dinner party.