Prolific Rhode Island singer-songwriter reimagines Jessica Pratt’s debut
The album cover and the track list mimic the original, but Asher White presents these songs with her own unique twists. Pratt’s 2012 album was a sparse outing with finger-picked guitar and intimate vocals. Asher uses a carload of instruments (acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, piano, synths, violin), and in her hands the sound is fuller and in your face. Still, White’s remade arrangements never miss the sadness in Pratt’s lonely lullabies.
Recreating these songs proved less stressful than making her own music. “It was completely relieved for this process because I felt I trusted the songs so much,” White told Jeremy J. Fisette on the Meet Our Makers podcast. “I really trusted their ability to accommodate for whatever I was bringing to them and didn’t actually much feel that there’s anything that I could do to ruin them.”
Fans of Pratt’s debut may still be taken by surprise. “Dreams” has bossa guitar and layered vocals, and “Casper” gets loud and tormented. “Midnight Wheels” is also noisy. And gorgeous.
Musicians who cover the songs of others often try to make them sound like the original. With Jessica Pratt, Asher White has created something that’s all her own.