10 Must-Have Albums

4. Cedar + Gold - Tristan Prettyman

The famous ex-fiance of singer/songwriter Jason Mraz blew away critics with her latest album Cedar + Gold. The album focuses on her breakup with Mraz, and the struggle she had trying to understand what happened. The album starts with pure intensity and slowly calms down, but actually gets deeper and more emotional as it goes. Prettyman writes about incidents that the media had covered in reference to the breakup, and makes it clear in certain songs that Mraz might have skewed the truth a bit. (Prettyman references Mraz's hit 'I Won't Give Up' in her song 'Glass Jar,' saying: "The version of your story isn't really matching up / You gave up on us"). The album is one of the most emotionally-driven masterpieces I have listened to. Prettyman captures her confusion and loss with absolute realism and beauty, with her upbeat songs like 'Bad Drug' and 'My Oh My' while maintaining her humbleness and pain with slower songs like 'I Was Gonna Marry You' (an aptly titled song) and 'Deepest Ocean Blue.' All-in-all, Prettyman proves herself to be a natural-born musician. She is flawless in every aspect, and this album proves it. To get a sense of Prettyman's anger, check out 'Second Chance,' the opening track off her album Cedar + Gold. http://youtu.be/UHDIwed2XIg