By Stephanie Holland
(Capitol Records)
By Stephanie Holland
Fresh off of making her late night television debut on “Last Call with Carson Daly,” Tristan Prettyman brought her brand of thoughtful love songs to The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on March 21.
Prettyman is on the opening leg of her tour supporting her new album “Hello.” Her strong soulful voice combined with relatable lyrics make for a powerful yet sweet combination.
Joined by bandmates Chris Lovejoy on drums and Matt Delvecchio on bass, Prettyman’s charming arrangements and catchy melodies made the three piece band sound like a full orchestra.
The intimate nature of her lyrics makes the listener feel like they’re looking in on a private moment. With no wasted notes or words every song tells a complete story.
Her soulful interpretations brought to mind classic soul singer Dusty Springfield. In fact, her cover of “Son of a Preacher Man,” brought the house down. Her stirring rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” made it sound more like a meaningful tale of love gone wrong, than a piece of pop fluff.
“It’s a fun song that has become a staple of the set,” Prettyman said.
The San Diego native says while she isn’t influenced by one particular artist she has always loved music from the ’60s and ’70s.
Prettyman also loves blues music. These influences can be heard in the title track “Hello” and also in “Just a Little Bit.”
Prettyman taught herself to play guitar when she was 15. After that she began playing shows around town, which led to a major label deal with Virgin records.
The first single off of her new album is titled “Madly Madly,” and is a bouncy song about an all encompassing love affair that falls apart.
“Hello” was recorded in London with producers Martin Terefe and Sascha Skarbek, who have previously worked with KT Tunstall and James Blunt.
“It’s a place with a lot of history and is a little darker and grittier than southern California,” Prettyman said.
That grittier sound can be heard on “Hello” which she wrote after a break up. Prettyman has no qualms about releasing such a personal record.
“Music has always been an outlet in a non-personal way, Prettyman said. “I have learned a lot about myself, and this album reflects the person I am now.”
Prettyman is currently finishing up her headlining tour before she heads to Japan in May. She will also be working in conjunction with Barefoot wine and the Sufrider Foundation to clean up some of America’s beaches.
The idea is to get people to come out and spend the day cleaning up their local beaches and then to stick around and see a free show featuring Prettyman.
