Rating: 8/10
Californian born Jesca Hoop has an interesting past, being raised in a mormon family, to stand against its beliefs and pursue a career in music. Her debut album "Kismet" gathered some praise from renounding artists including Tom Waits and Elbow. Her second album must show that Hoop has depth in her music, whilst still holding the magic that her sound seems to have.
The album starts with no introduction, but rather abruptly by a quick vocal harmony folowed directly into the song "Whispering Light". And a great song to start with, its enchanting like a Fiona Apple melody, mixed with some simple yet twisting guitar riff. The only dissapointment with this song is that the chorus doesnt hold you as much as it should, however the bridge does more than enough to make up for that.
Next song "The Kingdom" shows the delicate side of her voice, and it sounds stunning. At first I thought this would be a perfect song to end the album on, however the tune does take a turn which throughout is following her vocals. Lovely song, however I still do not think it fits in well here.
"Four Dreams" is a more upbeat song, with hints of chirpy bluegrass and 90s pop. A very enjoyable song with charming lyrics. Its easy to see why it was chosen as the first single.
We then get another stunning a magical song, "Angel Mom". From the high and beautiful vocals carrying a very deep meaning behind the song, its not hard to see why she has been compared to the likes of Kate Bush. The song consists of a slow build up into the stunning industrial chorus. Luke Murray Allen defines it well as having the subtle blend of two opposites: "industrial yet organic".
Then we get a darker tune in "Feast of the Heart". This song really seems like more of a rock band rather than a single female singer, however the dark sense to this song combined with her voice makes it a good listen as if in the midst of a Blonde Redhead track.
The rest of the album is alot more relaxed, without any strong tracks, however it seems like a more traditional folk album. What it does show perfectly is just how great her song-writing is. "Murder of Birds" is a good example of this, which sounds like poetry.
"Bed Across the Sea" has a strange combination the didgereedoo in the background giving it a weird atmosphere, which is broken from time to time by beautiful highs of her voice.
"Tulip" sounds more like a standard alternative-pop song, with another instrument used that at first wouldnt be considered, this time the electronic organ. It gives this song a mediterranean feel, however just like the previous song, I don't think it works too well. In fact I think it sounds like a Shakira B-side
However the final song, "Hunting My Dress" (doesnt take a detective to see where the album took its name from), is a stunning ballad. Deep meaning and sentimental lyrics, it is understandable why she wanted the album to be named after this.
All in all this album was impressive, and contains something for everyone. Jesca Hoop has been compared to several female artists, from Kate Bush to Bjork to Regina Spektor. I would say vocally, she has similarities to Australian Sarah Blasko, who you should really check out! Still, its easy to compare, however I don't believe it does her justice as she has her own style. Her style to me seems to be vocally led, with simple beats, subtle use of strings and piano which are hooked onto her voice. She has the tenacity to be experimental, which sounds incredible in some parts, and less so in others. As I have mentioned, I was not too impressed on how the tracks were arranged, which seems like very few songs fit in well together. However there are enough tracks to say this album is a great listen, and that is nearly all due to her superb imagination.
Hear - Money (okay its not on this album, but its the only official video I found of hers. And its a cracker)
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