Rickie Lee Jones
The Magazine

The Japanese island of Okinawa is known for the eponymous battle that took place between April and June 1945 during World War II, and for having the longest-living population in the world. However, it is also renowned, as far as we are concerned, for the art of living philosophy of its people called "ikigai," which translates to "You must always have a good reason to get up in the morning."

If we then stay closer to home, my "ikigai" today will be to use this beautiful Album to draw attention, via these web pages, to the musical and personal stories of its Author, introducing her musically, through YouTube, to those who know her little or not at all...

Born on November 8, 1954, in Chicago (U.S.A.), the still very young Rickie Lee Jones, while wandering through the States, learning the craft of living from the streets, sang folk songs in Los Angeles venues, where, after relocating, she worked as a waitress, until she met Mr. Tom Waits, becoming his partner from 1977 to '80.

Two eccentric artists, together in an odd union of love and alienation, lived among fumes of alcohol and various drugs, also comforted by a talented Los Angeles circle of musicians, from which her "high" musical formation emerged, including prominent names like Randy Newman, who played keyboards on her debut LP, and Lowell George, who covered her splendid "Easy Money," also from her first LP...

It was 1979 when, as an enchanting 25-year-old, bolstered by a rich artistic background and a strong personality, Mrs. Jones, with a beautiful debut album, which was unanimously appreciated by critics and the public, began an interesting musical journey that would evolve in many and varied directions, propelled by the opening track "Chuck E’s In Love", which climbed the sales charts with over a million copies in just a few weeks, and remains her greatest success to date.

As mentioned, every human expression is aligned with one's own experiences, yet her personal struggles, spent between drug addiction and family issues, do not seem to have impaired her artistic verve, so much so that it seems there exists a Rickie in the shadow of her problems and another one, free and often joyous, who soars high with her musical works.

Considered one of the most authoritative singer-songwriters of the '70s, musically a daughter of Joni Mitchell, sister of Tom Waits, and cousin of Carole King and Laura Nyro, from her beginnings, the primitive 25-year-old, shy and restless, emerges as a nonconformist songwriter, dedicated to sketching her songs with characters and street stories, romantic love affairs, dismal human scenarios, adventures of criminals, prostitutes, courtesans, and visionary hobos, closely tied to her personal experiences from when she was not yet famous. These appear as sketches, impressions, and sound metaphors, making her a "cult" figure in a constant musical balance, removed from the allure of showbiz and easy approval.

Unconventional, producing works that are more or less successful, though always driven by a sincere creative impetus, she eludes all classifications, oscillating from traditional U.S. music to the best experimentalism, connecting them authentically and personally.

Like other "enthusiasts," I presume, I'm still stuck with her original proposal, as, being a youthful love of mine, I chose to leave behind the works that followed, including the Album in question, though from time to time I listen with pertinent interest to these "subsequent" ones, considering her at the top among songwriters, composers, and musicians most talented and complete in recent decades, especially for those of us celebrating in "forties" for some time now, unlike the too young who are far removed from her Music.

Having archived her debut, now nearly four decades distant, Mrs. Jones, in the midst of a career made of clear skies and clouds, instead of duplicating those melodies, released in 1981 the more jazz-oriented and evocative "Pirates", ambitious and enigmatic, which, unfamiliar to much of her early audience, was followed in 1983 by the mini LP "Girl at her Volcano", of covers and live tracks, and in 1984 by this reviewing "The Magazine", while living in France, alternately between alcohol and drugs.

Following the ethereal experiments of "Pirates," with this refined and elegant Album, thanks to a beautiful vocal and instrumental form, Mrs. Jones seems to return to Earth; strong with well-crafted melodies, the most representative of her name in both lyrics and music, this Album unfolds using splendid pop jazz keyboards and shining metropolitan orchestral arrangements, dominated by her sensual and wide vocal range, and her precious piano and acoustic guitar contributions, true cornerstones of her Music.

Steeped in cultured, often aloof folk, jazz, and blues, no longer rock and r&b as before, with the help of some eminent jazz musicians, she releases this Album, which, far from her beginnings and lacking the boost of a successful hit, thanks to some well-structured tracks, ideally continues the previous and elegant "Pirates," confirming the artistic verve and the thousand musical facets of this talented "Duchess of Coolsville", so-called in honor of one of her best early tracks...

Aristocratic and learned "Dominous" of U.S.A. female Songwriting, in this Album her talent is appreciated over time, with multiple listens, as if it were a beautiful black and white photo album you return to willingly, even though it's less remarkable than the initial one, rich instead with a thousand colors...

The delicate ballad "Gravity", and the crystalline prelude "Prelude to Gravity", have the task of starting this Album, and are among the most convincing tracks, because they are moving and well-constructed, and, dominated by her heartbreaking singing and her beautiful piano, they gradually lead the listener to an exciting and conclusive orchestral mood.

"Juke Box Fury", along with "The Real End," although it is a brilliant déjà vu, is listened to gladly, but flows without any magic, despite being in harmony with the sounds of the beginnings, like those of the famous "Chuck E.'s in Love."

"It Must Be Love", a strong and poignant ballad, proceeds at the pace of cheerful riffs and her powerful and melodic singing, bringing the Album back to beautiful musical spaces, moving smoothly and carefree to the end.

The jaunty and jazzy "The Real End", which opens Side B, just like the previous "Juke Box Fury", shines joyfully, strengthened by her passionate voice and perfect arrangements in its counterpoint, infecting you with its lively happiness.

"Deep Space", less dramatic than Gravity, but no less profound, proceeds restlessly, painting scenes of desolate solitude, thanks to its cold keyboard and her mournful voice singing: "...Your dreams are like marbles in a boy's pocket...".

"Runaround", the least convincing track of the entire album, adds nothing to it, although sounding good, it is a gentlemanly "filler" between one track and another, as with the next two final tracks.

"Rorschachs: Theme for the Pope", the only track co-written with Sal Bernardi, with the rhythm of an eccentric and intimate waltz, enriched with accordion and Mediterranean rhythms, although valuable, seems incomplete and distant from her usual melodies and my listening habits...

"The Unsigned The Weird Beast", unusual, echoes the atmospheres of the initial "Prelude to Gravity," but does not convince, almost ending the Album in an uninspiring manner.

It's time to play Your beautiful Music, thank you again Dear Rickie !!!