The Golden Age of Heartbreak
If you’re a Top 40 Lite kinda girl, deep in the wet-mop stage of a breakup, then you are in luck! Jason Mraz broke off an engagement with the beautiful, gentle-voiced Tristan Prettyman and she has channeled all that heartbreak into twelve tunes to drip some snot to. That’s right! Load up on tissues and put on your ugliest sweatpants, because Cedar & Gold is ready to hold your hand through these trying times (and probably annoy the crap out of your roommates – but don’t worry, they won’t mention it).
Laced with loads of pedal-steel and a early-2000s ladypop feel, Prettyman’s latest is as lyrically subtle as Nicki Minaj. Songs like “I Was Gonna Marry You,” and “Glass Jar,” paint a damn clear picture of exactly what happened, and man, love sucks.
Not that the record completely lacks levity. “The Rebound,” tells the amusing story of meeting a fuckbuddy at a Trader Joe’s. Although the single “My Oh My” talks about someone who “looks like heaven” but “put me through hell,” the upbeat groove and hooky chorus are major fun, making the tune a likely staple of future ‘Better Off Without You’ playlists.
Though Cedar & Gold treads a path well-worn by Michelle Branch and Sara Bareilles, Ms. Prettyman’s humor, transparency, and pop-smarts make it all okay – even fun, sometimes. So hit ‘repeat,’ and thank your roommate for the extra case of Kleenex. It’ll all be over soon.
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