With Lilith Fair back in the headlines this summer, it’s tempting to make the knee-jerk reaction and lump any up-and-coming female singer/songwriter into the genteel, sensitive category into which many of the performers on that struggling tour fall. But the biography of Jesca Hoop, who grew up in a Mormon family, and has a resume that includes stints as a homesteader and as a nanny for the children of Tom Waits, immediately lets you in on the fact that her music might not be so easy to pin down.

One listen to her new disc, Hunting My Dress confirms that she is more comfortable in left field than in the middle of the road. These are not sing-along melodies, nor are they connect-the-dots lyrics. These are challenging songs, sometimes purposely keeping the listener at arm’s length. But they are never dull or predictable, and, given time, might just work their way into the hearts of discerning music fans even if they never find their way onto the pop charts.

The easy comparisons to draw here are to Bjork and Kate Bush, and Hoop certainly owes a debt to both of those artists, even if it’s only a tangential connection. There’s a touch of Bjork in the way she’s aware of her voice as a rhythmic instrument as well as a melodic one. And she sounds a lot like Bush when she goes into her upper register, as well as capturing some of the dark sensuality of that legend’s music.

But it might be Waits’ music that provides the biggest influence, especially his '80s work that introduced the violent percussion and clunky rhythms that make those songs so unique. Hoop has a nifty way of juxtaposing these often startling beats with with lyrics medieval (“The Kingdom”) or mythical (“Four Dreams”).

It allows her to keep her songs grounded in folk traditions while keeping a modern edge.

There is also a bit of rocker in Hoop, which shows itself most tellingly on “Feast Of The Heart,” which has more than a touch of MGMT’s prog/glam alchemy in its DNA. Her roots as a harmony singer give her another weapon, which she uses to beautiful affect on the seductive “Bed Across The Sea.”

Hoop can be a tad precious lyrically at times, as on “Murder Of Birds” when she sings “I got demons when I needs ‘em,” but even that bit of cutesiness is outweighed by the prettiness of the melody. The weird Scottish brogue she attaches to opening song “Whispering Light” is off-putting though, and coming at the start of the record, might make an unsuspecting listener think that the eclecticism could run amok over the rest of the album.

Hopefully, they’ll stick with Hoop past that opening hiccup. If they do, they’ll be rewarded with gems like the gorgeous title track, which closes the album on a romantic note. The way that the singer’s spectral harmonies caress the line, “love is ruthless,” you get the feeling that she’d willingly endure that ruthlessness given the opportunity to do so.

It’s just one more contrast on an album full of them, keeping things surprising and refreshing throughout.

"Hunting My Dress" might not be accessible enough to the masses to overshadow Hoop’s unique background. Nor is it likely to make her a household name. But it just might be an album that will stand out one day if she can keep up the fine work and get to the revered cult status of some of her influences.

Adobe Flash Required for flash player. "The Kingdom"

Adobe Flash Required for flash player. "Feast of the Heart"