Hope Waits - Hope Waits Radarproof Record Corp RPR 1019 Format: CD Released: 2007 by Joseph Taylor josepht@soundstage.com Musical Performance Recording Quality Overall Enjoyment

Hope Waits is a lovely chanteuse from New Orleans whose voice reminds me vaguely of Norah Jones’, but I can’t imagine Jones doing Tom Waits’ "Get Behind the Mule" with as much bite or raw sensuality as Waits (no relation) does on her eponymous debut. Guitarist Peter Malick produced Hope Waits, but don’t let his association with Jones throw you off the track here. Waits has her own strong interpretive skills, and if "Get Behind the Mule" doesn’t convince you, her take on Dylan’s "Ring Them Bells" should do the trick. She breathes new life into "Drown In My Own Tears," and she gives Jackie Wilson’s "I’ll Be Satisfied" a healthy dose of New Orleans funk.

Malick has surrounded Waits with distinctive players, including former Eels drummer Butch Horton and bassist Jeff Turmes. Many of the musicians on the disc, including Turmes, have their own songwriting careers and bring a respect for the writer’s craft to their work here. They give Waits exactly what she needs, from the low-down distortion Malick provides on his own "You Crossed the Line" to the old New Orleans jazz that perfectly accompanies Waits’ rendering of Jerome Kerns’s "Yesterdays." Waits and Malick co-wrote three of the tunes here, and Waits has an eye for detail that she blends successfully with haunting melodies.

Malick has arrayed the instruments behind Waits in a wide soundstage, and he has focused her voice sharply out front. Hope Waits is an emotionally honest singer who chooses her material wisely, and Malick has produced an honest, very enjoyable CD for her.

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