In this disposable world, it often seems that there is truly nothing that lasts. Bands rise to fame and crash back into obscurity in a matter of months. But still, artists do appear who possess a talent that transcends time and fashion. Hope Waits is such an artist.
Hope possesses that rare talent that is born of challenge, pain, and heart. Her story eerily parallels those of many of the great soul and blues singers whose essence she reflects. Hope grew up in the Deep South - Monroe, Louisiana to be exact. She was the 7th of 12 children born to an alcoholic father and spent her childhood moving from place to place, often with no food for Hope and her siblings.
She grew up singing in church and was discouraged by her overprotective mother. Her passion stayed locked deep inside during Hope’s teen years. After her mother was murdered, Hope (then 21) began to explore her birthright and started to sing again.
Chance brought Hope into Chessvolt Studios in the spring of 2006. Producer Peter Malick (Norah Jones) heard Hope sing and immediately recognized the timeless voice that filled the control room. Malick and his partner Douglass Grossman signed Hope to Radarproof Records and released her debut self-titled album (produced by Malick) in late 2007.
“We wanted to honor a rich heritage of blues and soul without becoming a slave to it,” says producer Malick about the sessions. The disc contains 12 tracks, and eight of these can be described as classic songs. “Hope’s interpretation of Ray Charles’ ‘Drown in My Own Tears’ is simply stunning,” adds Malick. “Simple is the operative word here; we didn't want it to sound new in any way. Hope has the ability to get inside a song and make it her own. The only other time I have experienced such artistry was in recording Norah Jones’ New York City tracks.”
The band Malick assembled to back Hope on her recording debut was a perfect complement to her singing abilities. Drummer Butch Norton was a founding member of the eels, has toured with Tracy Chapman, Rufus Wainwright, Tracy Bonham, and is currently touring and recording with Lucinda Williams. Bassist Jeff Turmes has toured with James Harmon, Janiva Magness (his wife), and is currently touring with Mavis Staples. He also appeared on the Norah Jones’ New York City CD. Horn players David Woodford and Lee Thornburg have played with everyone from Tower of Power and Bonnie Raitt to The Tonight Show Band. Keyboardist Phil Parlapiano has played with Carlene Carter, Lucinda Williams, John Prine and Rod Stewart. Producer Peter Malick added his tasty guitar work to the tracks, as well. In addition to playing and recording with Norah Jones, his resume includes the great James Montgomery Band and legendary blues piano player Otis Spann.
"We love Tom Waits and wanted to attempt to cover him,” says Hope (no relation). “Peter taped a mic to the bottom of his dobro for ‘Get Behind The Mule,’ and it ended up picking up the sound of his pants rubbing against the guitar. I told him we have to keep it; it’s the coolest sound on the whole CD!”
“I didn't want ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’ to be easy listening,” adds Malick. “I got Butch to bring all sorts of metal trash to the studio to dirty up the drum track. Then I shipped the session to Ducky Carlisle in Boston and he recorded Marty Ballou playing string bass in his laundry room. Voila!”
“I have always loved Billy Holiday,” continues Hope, “I felt a kinship, a deep knowing from the first moment I ever heard her recordings. Peter turned the interlude of Billy’s ‘Yesterdays’ into a kind of New Orleans funeral dirge. I had read that Billy hated some of the up-tempo arrangements that were pushed at her. I felt like we were channeling the arrangement that Billy would have chosen if given the chance.”
Hope and Peter co-wrote three of the four original songs on the disc. Of special note is “The Ballad of Judith Anne,” where Hope sings about discovering mementos from her mother’s past after her murder. “She had a secret life that I never knew about. I found that she was in many ways like me,” remembers Hope. “Somewhere along the line she gave up. I will never let that happen.”
Hope Waits is finally going to have a home.
