3. Natalie Prass, “The Future and The Past”

Following a self-titled debut that grew on me slowly but steadily, Prass firmly establishes she’s so much more than just a sweet-voiced singer/songwriter in love with classy divas like Dusty and Dionne. From the deliciously itchy funk of “Oh My” on down, she’s no longer paying tribute to the past but anticipating the future, crafting vicious manifestos (“Sisters”), squishy electro-R&B (“Never Too Late”) and piano-laced prog-rock (“Ship Go Down”), all with the same care and aplomb. On “The Fire”, she subverts the potential tinniness of late ‘80s/early ‘90s dance pop with a sharpness and warmth that sounds entirely of its own accord; far too nuanced to reach a wide contemporary audience, I suspect it, like the rest of the album will age like a fine Cabernet.

“The Fire”: