Jessica Pratt

Originally a purveyor of sedate acoustic folk, Jessica Pratt's music has gradually evolved into a quiet pop that carries a '60s retro feel. Earlier, especially in her first two albums, she was going for a more solitary sound with minimal instrumental accompaniment other than her guitar, often arpeggiated, as she constructed songs with a '70s psych folk touch, delivered in a very young voice. The sparsity of her sound allowed her subtle melodies to breathe and expand, and gave her a hushed presence in the room. Her current work, with her 2019 album Quiet Signs a transition point in retrospect, continues to convey that sense with broader arrangements that create a richer texture, a nice nod to a classic period of pop before bell-bottoms were a thing, bossa nova was everywhere, and songs were meant to be beautiful.