Why Haven’t You Listened to This?
(JESCA HOOP’S “KISMET”)
I went to see Martha Wainwright at the Troubadour, and Jesca Hoop was the opening act. She played part of her set solo (just her voice and her guitar), and part of her set with two harmony singers (there were a couple of those songs where her friends the Ditty Bops came up to lend their voices as well).
Needless to say, Jesca was a standout for me (though Wainwright was also very good). I looked her up and found out one of her songs was highly requested on KCRW (not surprising), and also found some other tidbits (she was a nanny for Tom Waits, but not before being raised a strict Mormon, where MTV was banned and such and such).
I grabbed her album that night, and I’ve been playing it quite a bit. She reminds me of a weird blend of Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, and Nina Persson from The Cardigans. But it’s easier to listen to her music than to trust my vocal concoction.
Listen to “Seed of Wonder” and “Enemy” for a better reflection of why I’m digging her stuff.
