Tristan Prettyman, “Twentythree”: The genre of the male singer/songwriter with his acoustic guitar and lyrics on love and loss has found lots of success in recent years, with the likes of John Mayer, Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz exploding onto the music scene. But these boys will have to put up with a new face in town, and this time that face belongs to a woman. Tristan Prettyman joins this formerly “boys-only” club as a fresh-faced, creative singer/songwriter who writes all of her own songs and strums her acoustic guitar on each of the eleven tracks on her CD “Twentythree.”
Prettyman, who is currently opening on Mraz’s tour that brings them both to Eugene tonight at the Hult Center, hails from the SoCal region, where Mraz also calls home. Her sunny, upbeat yet mellow music is great for a day spent on the beach or just chilling at home. Her smoky voice and love-focused lyrics match well, providing instant pleasure for any listener.
“Twentythree” begins with the sounds of ocean waves crashing onto the shore in her single “Love Love Love.” The bubbly and sugary lyrics add to the poppy chords she plays on her guitar. Most of the songs on “Twentythree” are like this, which causes the problem of her songs sounding too similar. This applies especially to “Breathe,” which sounds like a slower solo version of “Shy That Way,” a duet she sings with Mraz. But there’s a positive side to her songs sounding similar: If you like one song, chances are you’ll like them all.
Although Prettyman isn’t quite as creative (lyrically or musically) as the boys in this acoustic guitar genre, any fan of Mayer, Johnson and especially Mraz will enjoy a listen to “Twentythree.”
-Amy Lichty