Product Description

Debut album for spectacular vocalist Hope Waits. Born in the Louisiana Delta, her voice was strong from the beginning. She grew up singing in Baptist choirs, writing love songs underneath her bed, and learning how to pull a tune out of her bizarre home life. Produced by Peter Malick, producer of Norah Jones' first recording. A stunning debut, Hope channels the spirit of Billie Holiday, covering the classic Yesterdays. The disc features 4 tracks penned by Ms. Waits and producer Malick.

Track Listing

1. I'll Be Satisfied
2. You Crossed the Line
3. Fortune Teller
4. Yesterdays
5. Get Behind the Mule
6. Ring Them Bells
7. Drown in My Own Tears
8. Ballad of Judith Anne
9. Cigarettes and Coffee
10. Mother-in-Law Blues
11. Come Rain or Come Shine
12. Ignatius

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5141 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Review
Emerging on her debut disc with a voice from heaven and a crystalline creative vision, the artistry of Hope Waits sounds effortless.

Whether she's referencing Billie Holiday on Yesterdays or Bonnie Raitt on the sassy You Crossed The Line, Waits is stylistically perfect and every note is delivered with a confidence that belies the fact this is a first release by the Louisiana native.

Blessed with a mature, charismatic voice and impeccable taste in songs, Waits transcends genre. Tracks like The Ballad of Judith Anne or the dirty blues of Mother In Law Blues come across almost cocky, so impressive is her ability to move beyond cocktail jazz or generic blues workouts into something more.

She even has the confidence to cover the stately Bob Dylan song Ring Them Bells, and freshen it up without losing the original dignity that is the tune's hallmark.

Peter Malick, a veteran bluesman who has worked with Norah Jones, gives Hope Waits pristine production that never distracts from the singer's soulful delivery. --Rod Lockwood, The Toledo Blade, September 30, 2007

Review
No relation to Tom (although she does perform a killer version of his Get Behind the Mule), Hope Waits wraps her deep, slinky, sultry voice around a dozen bluesy/jazzy tracks on this striking debut. Although her styling and singing hint at a combination of Joan Osborne and Maria Muldaur, Waits is no mere imitator. She shifts from torchy originals (the languid Fortune Teller) to innovative singer/songwriter covers (the Waits song, Dylan's Ring Them Bells) and gripping, stripped-down versions of standards (an eerie, somewhat menacing Come Rain or Come Shine). Most of the album's four originals are assisted or written by Peter Malick, who also produced and plays guitar. Her take on the Ray Charles chestnut Drown in My Own Tears, accompanied by the horns that appear on a handful of selections, is a tour de force as she slows the song's tempo to a crawl and wrings every last drop of emotion out of the lyrics. Like the finest interpreters, Waits brings a fresh perspective to this material through her rearrangements. The opening cover of Jackie Wilson's I'll Be Satisfied keeps the soul while adding a dollop of jazz and bluesy swing. She digs into Cigarettes and Coffee with nearly as much intensity as Otis Redding, no easy task, and makes the standard her own. She's somewhat less successful on a shuffle blues reading of Mother-in-Law Blues, best known through Bobby 'Blue' Bland, even with an accordion added to twist the approach and add a touch of Louisiana R&B. There are obvious comparisons to Norah Jones' similar style (Malick has also worked with Jones), but Waits' technique is less easy listening, far more dark and edgy. Malick and Waits create a classic sound, very sparse but not quite stark, that highlights her gripping vocals. Atmospheric, intense, and often hypnotic, Waits' debut is a delight and a real find for those who walk down the more ominous side of the jazz/blues boulevard. --Hal Horowitz, AllMusic.com - The All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Quirky (But Quirky Is Good!)
This eponymous debut is one of the most interesting c.d.'s to be released in a long time. Hope Waits sounds like 2 parts Maria Muldaur, 2 parts Bonnie Raitt, .5 parts Madeleine Peyroux and 1.5 parts Sheila Jordan. Her music is similarly multi-inspired, being an interesting mix of jazz, rhythm & blues, and blues (both Chicago electric and "Muscle Shoals-variety").

The best thing about this c.d. is the production. With Hope Waits front and center throughout, the c.d. has a variety of musical colorations. Whether horns, accordion, capriorgan, tack piano, or a plethora of guitars, the c.d. never fails to fascinate. Kudos to the three producers: Douglas Grossman, Peter Malick (tripling as songwriter and guitarist) and Ducky Carlisle (also the mixer).

And it has a lot of creative musical touches. Consider "You Crossed the Line," with its whistles and Carlisle's "doo wops" portending restraint throughout the blues shuffle. Or consider Jerome Kern's staple, "Yesterdays," sounding like a Parisian opium den of the 1930's. Or consider the fuzz guitar on Dylan's "Ring Them Bells," sounding like a cracked one. Or consider Marty Ballou (string bass) and Ms. Wait's duet on the Arlen standard, "Come Rain or Shine," which sounds like a competition to see who can bend the most notes in a blues mode. Or consider the set ender, "Ignatius," which is a hymn sung over Malick's Frisellish chords.

Bottom line: the whole thing is quicky. But quirky is good! I hereby commission all hitherto unknown artists (and a few known ones, too) to get down and get quirky, by the powers invested in me (of which there is little, I know).

So far, 2008 to me has been hallmarked by the remarkable number of very good debut c.d.'s. Kelly Eisenhour's, Raya Yarbrough's and now Hope Waits' debuts have caused 2008 to be a year to be remembered for that reason alone. RC

Wonderful album, somthing to listen to over and over
Prior to buying this CD I only heard Get Behind the Mule. So beyond that song I wasn't sure what to expect. So what a wonderful surprise to listen to this CD and hear several amazing songs. The first song I'll Be Satisfied brings you right into the listening experience right away. Some of the sound is an older big band music but only in certain spots. Her singing really stands out and doesn't get drowned out by the music. She has one of the best voices I've heard in awhile. I would describe her as a more folksy Melody Gardot. However this is not folk music. Her sound isn't anything like Nora Jones or Bonnie Rait, but her style may be described as a little bit of those two singers. The only one I could compare her sound to might be Susan Tedeschi.
I really enjoyed the first 9 songs, the last couple songs were a little slower than the rest but as a whole this is an outstanding CD. Hope is definitely going on my list of must see singers.

HOPE WAITS...NOT TOM WAITS
Excellent first CD, sounds like a cross between Norah Jones/Maira Muldaur and Diana Krall, moreso then Bonnie Raitt, in my opinion anyway. Someone gave me this CD and said it was Tom Waits daughter. No it isn't, as stated on the other reviews listed here. Non the less, she does cover Get Behind The Mule, and does an awesome job. Great Jazzy Bluesy album. I really "Hope" I don't "Waits" too long for her next album. OK, sorry, that was dumb..