One of the hardest things to resist when reviewing a musician that's new to you is comparing them to someone you're already familiar with. Although it makes your job easier by providing a frame of reference for judging the person's work, it is also unfair because it means you're looking to try and pigeon hole them within predefined boundaries instead of letting the work speak for itself.
Rebbeca Pronsky, thankfully, makes it easy to not compare her to others, for the simple reason that she is carving out her own niche. After listening to her six song E.P. The Early Hours I was hard pressed to come up with a contemporary pop artist she resembles, let alone one who I would want to compare her too.
Her musical arrangements owe more to jazz than pop, folk, or rock. When it comes to jazz music my vocabulary is woefully lacking for describing a person's sound, but Rebecca's songs swing smoothly and sway to their final destination instead of being propelled by the singular beat of blues based rock.
That's not to say she is either laid back, or another mellow middle of the road lounge singer. Her songs have an emotional edge that breaks through the usual wall of cool that surrounds so many female jazz vocalists. The band on The Early Hours takes their cues from her and while maintaining a jazz feel, there's an urgency to their playing that accents the intensity of her voice.
Take for example "Sorry Baby" the final cut on the disc. The rhythm guitar and base keep a steady pulse underneath the vocals and lead instruments, that not only drives the song, but pulls the listener deeper and deeper into its emotional depths.
Ms. Pronsky's voice is distinguished for its strength and expressiveness. It can issue a bold challenge as it does on the first cut "Border Town", soar off into the stratosphere and come right back down to earth with the ease of riding an elevator, or, as it does in "Waterways", be as yearning and wistful as it can be strong and powerful.
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