Showcasing her goofy side, “Rebound” is a pretty straightforward track – Prettyman checks out this hot guy in the produce department at Trader Joe’s and immediately is drawn to his banana. Getting a little dirty, Prettyman lets the guy know she’s down for whatever.
“This actually happened to me. Just turns out the guy was a friend of mine and I was so embarrassed,” Prettyman shared. “But I’m really glad Greg Wells convinced me to put ‘Rebound’ on the record.”
The track stands out as a light-hearted departure from the rest of the album’s emotional swells. After a four year absence, Prettyman comes back stronger than ever after having to deal with vocal chord issues, a failed engagement to Jason Mraz and self-doubt about her musical abilities.
“This album has just shown me about making the most of what you have within any given situation,” Prettyman reveals. “There was so much pain and so much thrown at me that I had to toughen up.”
Emotional trials and breakups can be a record goldmine…or in the case of female artists, a platinum one. Look no further than Adele’s 21, a record that single-handedly became the savior of the recording industry in 2011, or Taylor Swift, who once again garnered record-breaking sales with the diary-page lyrics on her latest album Red. On Cedar + Gold, Prettyman chronicles her journey with unflinching honesty. “I didn’t want anything I said to be misconstrued so I put it into my songs and let [them] be as real and truthful as possible.”
Aiding Prettyman on her journey is co-writer Dave Hodges, whose credits include Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You”. Prettyman says she was hesitant about working with others on this album but she and Hodges instantly clicked.
“The first track I wrote for the album, ‘Say Anything’, was written the day after the ex and I had our final talk,” she said. “I showed up at his house just a mess and we wrote the song. It’s been an amazing relationship since.”
Released last year, Prettyman is taking these tunes on the road for a solo tour after being the supporting act on The Script’s US tour. Prettyman plays Mercy Lounge Sunday March 3rd. Click here for more information and tickets.