Jumping Through Hoops.

[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.

The story goes that she made her first splash in professional waters at age 7, singing a jingle espousing the benefits of potty-training. Then she caught a big break as the family nanny for Tom Waits. He got ahold of her demo and the rest as they say is history. And success: Fans and believers made Hoop the most requested artist on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. DJ Nick Harcourt thought so much of her that secured a spot for her on NPR Music's All Songs Considered as an opening act for The Polyphonic Spree.

And then there are her influeces. Edith Piaf, the late 20th-Century French chanteuse, plays a heavy role in Hoop's work, and she admits as much. Yet her musical meanderings, which border on the peculiar and brilliant, cannot be so easily explained. She's a little bit country, especially during the opening track “Summertime,” before she oozes pop-angst in the song's chorus. Then she knits staccato hip-hop with Eastern European folk fed through the idiosyncracy of Kate Bush on the song “Seed of Wonder.” And if that's not enough, she sounds like she's auditioning for Bjork's job on Kismet's best track, “Intellegentactile101.” Yet aside from her more eclectic moments, Hoop hits her average pop stride on “Love and Love Again,” backed as she is by dreamy piano and strings. Same goes for “Love is All We Have” and “Out the Back Door.”

And the various artists with whom Hoop collaborates speak volumes about the respect her measured madness has received. Besides co-producers Damian Anthony and Tony Berg, she also landed Police drummer Stuart Copeland, who adds syncopated intrigue throughout the disc. Plus, Hoop plays guitar on much of the album and wrote every song but one, the aforementioned “Love and Love Again,” which composed with storied folkster David Baerwald, of David & David fame who landed a recent Golden Globe nomination for the song "Come What May" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. He knows a thing or two about new artists: He co-wrote the single “All I Wanna Do” with Sheryl Crow for her 1993 breakthrough Tuesday Night Music Club.

Whether Hoop has broken through, or will even be named Best New Artist, remains to be seen. But she more than makes her case.

September 16, 2007