Natalie Prass Covering Janet Jackson

Natalie Prass Covering Janet Jackson

Natalie Prass’ set was the first I caught at Outside Lands, and it’s also the first I’ve seen of hers since SXSW. Prass is a lovable presence, both on-stage and off, and she made the most of her very early (we’re talking noon on a Friday) set by chatting away at the crowd and answering questions on the whereabouts of her beloved Godzilla action figure, which she’s performed with in the past. Prass played a new song called “Jess,” which is a rapid-fire, R&B-influenced collection of measured verses. She performed it without a guitar, stooping down low to the ground as a torrent of syllables spilled out of her mouth. That was a highlight, as was Prass’ hiccuping ballad “My Baby Don’t Understand Me,” but the best moment by far arrived when Prass performed Janet Jackson’s “Any Time, Any Place,” with the unforgettable tagline: “In the thundering rain,” which we heard again the next night when the sample inaugurated Kendrick Lamar’s “Poetic Justice.” Jackson’s song has the same doe-eyed, romantic sentiment as Prass’ excellent self-titled debut, and its inclusion in the set was seamless.