Josi Wails

If you haven’t heard Josi Wails before, your first impression is bound to be, “Why haven’t I heard this before?” Her sound is refreshing, thoughtfully played with an optimistic tempo that embraces its listener. She touches on topics such as politics, family, love and friendship in an intelligent, eloquent way that doesn’t lose its natural ease and fun—inciting both tears and laughter within a stanza or two. Each unique song takes the listener to a moment of great spiritual and emotional revelation for this talented artist—one that she seems more than willing to share.Raised in a family where “making music was an automatic response to living,” Josi’s early exposure to the country’s finest jazz, blues, gospel, folk, big band, country and show music is shines through in a natural fusion of these elements, including influential sparks by such greats Abbey Lincoln and Billie Holiday to Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd. Josi has the rare ability to fuse these eclectic influences into a natural, solid classic sound with a fresh, raw contemporary spirit.Josi’s passion to perform began at an open mic in Salisbury, MD at 18, and soon after, led to cross country quests, and work with numerous bands, including Secret Service, Pops & The Playaz, The Holy Ghost Revival, Delmonico Bombe, one hand clapping, and others – meanwhile writing “dozens of songs on borrowed guitars,” picking up nearly as many new instruments as adventures along the way—including the mandolin, banjo, stand-up bass and then returning to the piano, her first instrument. But it was the debut of “Believe,” a deeply stirring ballad of love, loss and redemption in 2004 that not only won her the first ever Foxwoods Casino BETSY Award for Best performance, originality and creativity, but also the ear of William Morris Agency’s Senior VP of Talent, and an opening spot for two Bill Cosby performances.“(Believe) became my mantra…”Josi says. “(it was) the song that would heal me, give me two feet to stand on as I battled new scars, looked hate and pity and rage in the face and did my best to give my first born more love than I had…”Now, in Josi’s first full length compilation, “The Evolution of Love,” Josi effortlessly sings stories of false starts, dreams lost and regained, friendship and discovery as well as courageously grappling with the complex themes of motherhood, falling in love, and the steep risks and choices one makes when building a life with another. Josi Wails touches a place in the human soul—almost to the point of pain—but a place crying out for precisely that kind of touch. Josi doesn’t just say, “Come with me,” she takes you gently by the heart and leads you there….[ check out Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4 ]