An artist's second album is often seen as the moment of truth. Released in spring 2007 “Hope & Sorrow” (80 000 copies sold already) has been plebiscited by public, press & radios (nominated to French music award & US Indie music awards). Wax Tailor confirms his musical identity. Often categorized as trip-hop or down tempo hip-hop, Wax Tailor breaks musical barriers using a sonic palette to demonstrate his life chronicles tainted in soul, jazz, and funk. The tone of “Hope & Sorrow” is set from the introduction, where sounds unwind in a long one take and finally give way to Nate Harrison’s essay from “Can I Get An Amen.” Through the course of 12 tracks and 3 interludes, he tells us a new story, unravelling like a movie scenario with vocal guests as his actors who deliver their lines to the tune of a great director.
Like his debut, “Hope & Sorrow” showcases an array of talented guest musicians. Also featured on “Tales,” Charlotte Savary’s voice finds a gentle balance of sweetness and self-confidence on “The Man With No Soul,” “To Dry Up” and “Alien In My Belly.” This songstress reminds one of Bristolian cabaret pop where melancholy and melodies intertwine. Sharon Jones, the leading figure of the neo soul movement, lets her voice soar to heights far beyond that of modern R&B on “The Way We Lived.”Ursula Rucker is the priestess of Spoken Words. A familiar of The Roots, she offers her most exciting track to date, “We Be,” a poem that epitomizes the struggles of independence.
LA based rapper, Voice, one of the true discoveries of this album, expresses a femininity in Rap on “The Games You Play” that is an all too rare occurrence. Marina Quaisse embraced the Wax Tailor project from the start and here again, She co-write a song and sprinkles softness through-out with her melancholic cello playing. The Others and A State Of Mind, no strangers to the underground hip-hop scene, drop their clever verses on the funky tracks “House of Wax” and “Positively Inclined.” “On my first album I had a lot of instrumental tracks,” explains JC, “I wanted to have more vocal guests on ‘Hope & Sorrow,’ which changed the way I approached song writing, giving the songs a more pop orientation.”
This is a ReRelease from the second Wax Tailor album.Albumtrailer: Hope & Sorrow+ Bonus CD with remixes from album tracks.
