Jesca Hoop Has Kismet -- And Tom Waits -- On Her Side

Here's the history: Jesca Hoop was once the nanny of Tom Waits' kids. Here's the present: Jesca Hoop has a solo debut out called Kismet, which has Tom Waits' blessing. The rest is details. Here they are:

Jesca Hoop's Kismet
[by Ryan Gray]
A spoonful of spice, in this case a dash of this and a pinch of that from the four corners of musical madness, can sometimes make the medicine more tolerable. And sometimes it can make things downright succulent.

Mad is the word to describe Los Angeles' Jesca Hoop, musically of course, as she finds a way to mesh country, jazz, folk, blues, pop, chamber music, and even Chinese folklore into her songs. That in itself should give you a clue of the journey you're in for with her debut album, Kismet.

Mad is an adjective Hoop uses on her MySpace page to describe the free-form aural gymnastics she adroitly performs. So it was to MySpace I turned when seeking more information on Hoop. I enjoyed every twist and turn of her 50-minute joyride. There online amid the requisite bombshell beauties, freaks and other dateless wonders my initial reaction to her music was validated. There among the froth of Top 40 hitmakers and Indie wannabees was the backstory of something evolutionary, absurdly good even. "Money" does make the world go ‘round, as she sings with a free-wheeling vibe that is quite endearing. But so does destiny and luck, and whether it's her destiny or luck, Hoop's music is as diverse as her moods on Kismet : You're never quite sure what to expect...
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