Waiting
      for
      a
     
     
      Masterpiece:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Rickie
      Lee
      Jones
      Story
     
     
      by
      Kirby
      Ferguson
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hen
      Rickie
      Lee
      Jones
      emerged
      in
      1979
      with
      her
      platinum
      debut
      and
      an
      underdog
     
     
      top
      ten
      hit
      in
      “Chuck
      E’s
      in
      Love”,
      she
      established
      herself
      as
      an
      artist
      of
     
     
      monumental
      potential
      and
      already
      seemed
      on
      par
      with
      the
      likes
      of
      Van
      Morrison,
     
     
      Bruce
      Springsteen
      and
      Randy
      Newman.
      Possibly
      the
      most
      striking
      thingabout
      her
     
     
      was
      her
      girlish,
      slurred
      singing,
      which
      most
      would
      consider
      either
      annoying
      or
      extraordinarily
     
     
      poignant
      in
      its
      innocence
      and
      vulnerability.
      Since
      then,
      Jones
      has
      come
      to
      be
      considered
      an
     
     
      underacheiver,
      but
      her
      work
      has
      been
      remarkably
      consistent
      and
      not
      nearly
      so
      pompous
      as
     
     
      some
      critics
      have
      stated.
     
    

    
     
      Like
      Van
      Morrison,
      Jones’
      music
      extends
      from
      the
      philosophies
      of
      Astral
      Weeks
      and
     
     
      Moondance:
      free-flow
      and
      tightly
      constructed
      pieces.
      Rickie
      Lee
      Jones
      (5)
      established
      her
      as
     
     
      a
      master
      craftsman
      with
      its
      lively
      r&b
      and
      gentle
      balladry.
      A
      true
      masterpiece,
      the
      album
      is
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      most
      assured
      debuts
      in
      all
      of
      rock
      and
      an
      overlooked
      masterpiece.
      Pirates
      (4.5)
     
     
      is
      a
      strong
      follow-up
      and
      a
      logical
      progression,
      presenting
      the
      same
      boppy
      r&b
      on
      numbers
     
     
      like
      “Woody
      and
      Dutch
      on
      the
      Slow
      Train
      to
      Peking”
      and
      “Pirates”
      but
      experimenting
      with
     
     
      more
      impressionistic
      compositions
      like
      “Traces
      of
      the
      Western
      Slopes”
      (wordy
      enough
      for
     
     
      a
      Yes
      album,
      that)
      and
      “Living
      It
      Up”.
      It’s
      a
      little
      less
      well-aimed
      than
      her
      debut,
      but
      the
      album
     
     
      has
      frequent
      moments
      of
      utter
      brilliance.
      1984’s
      The
      Magazine
      (4)
      introduces
      synths
      to
      the
     
     
      mix
      and
      Jones
      gets
      even
      artier,
      (“Theme
      for
      the
      Pope”
      indicates
      the
      kind
      of
      flakiness
      that
      may
     
     
      be
      Jones’
      Achilles
      Heel)
      but
      the
      album
      is
      nowhere
      near
      as
      pretentious
      as
      a
      glance
      at
      the
      track
     
     
      listing
      might
      suggest:
      joyous
      r&b
      numbers
      like
      “The
      Real
      End”
      and
      “Juke
      Box
      Fury”
      are
      as
     
     
      infectious
      as
      anything
      from
      Rickie
      Lee
      Jones.
     
    

    
     
      After
      The
      Magazine
      Rickie
      disappeared
      for
      five
      years,
      reemerging
      in
      1989
      much
      quieter
     
     
      and
      much
      earthier
      with
      the
      masterful
      Flying
      Cowboys
      (4.5),
      on
      which
      she
      disposed
      with
      the
     
     
      experimentation
      of
      previous
      works
      --
      not
      to
      mention
      the
      lively
      bops
      --
      in
      favour
      of
      traditional
     
     
      Pop
      song
      structures.
      The
      tunes
      are
      some
      of
      her
      best:
      the
      likes
      of
      “The
      Horses”
      and
      “Satellites”
     
     
      are
      moving,
      tuneful
      and
      accessible
      songs
      that
      should
      have
      returned
      Jones
      to
      popular,
      as
      well
     
     
      as
      critical,
      favour.
      |990’s
      Pop
      Pop
      (2)
      is
      Jones’
      only
      write-off.
      A
      collection
      of
      twee
      swing
      covers,
     
     
      it
      features
      Jones’
      singing
      at
      its
      most
      irritating.
      “Love
      Junkyard”
      sounds
      like
      a
      Flying
      Cowboys
     
     
      outtake
      and
      “Comin’
      Backto
      Me”
      (the
      Jefferson
      Airplane
      song)
      is
      the
      only
      brooding
      moment,
     
     
      but
      Pop
      Pop
      is
      astoundingly
      misguided.
     
    

    
     
      Jones’
      new
      release,
      Traffic
      From
      Paradise,
      (4)
      actually
      justifies
      Pop
      Pop,
      incorporating
      the
     
     
      spare
      instrumentation
      and
      jazz
      influence
      of
      that
      album,
      along
      with
      the
      gentle
      melodicism
      of
     
     
      Flying
      Cowboys.
      Her
      restrained,
      hoarse
      singing
      is
      her
      least
      affected
      yet.
      To
      standup
      in
      such
      stark
     
     
      relief,
      your
      material
      has
      to
      be
      pretty
      spectacular
      and
      Jones
      supplies
      some
      career
      summing
     
     
      material:
      “Stewart’s
      Coat,”
      “Beat
      Angels”
      and
      “Running
      From
      Mercy”
      are
      as
      tenderly
      tuneful
     
     
      as
      anything
      off
      Flying
      Cowboys
      but
      also
      haunting
      in
      their
      emptiness.
      Puzzlingly
      plopped
      in
      the
     
     
      middle
      of
      the
      album
      is
      a
      cover
      of
      --
      ofall
      things
      --David
      Bowie's
      “Rebel
      Rebel”,
      an
      odd
      moment
     
     
      of
      vulgarity
      on
      an
      otherwise
      gorgeous
      work.
     
    

    
     
      Her
      least
      compromising
      work
      yet,
      Traffic
      From
      Paradise
      demonstrates
      that
      Jones’
     
     
      experimentation
      has
      finally
      come
      to
      a
      head.
      The
      world
      undoubtedly
      won’t
      listen,
      but
      Rickie
     
     
      Lee
      Jones
      has
      reasserted
      herself
      as
      one
      of
      pop
      music’s
      most
      daring
      and
      unique
      artists.
      With
     
     
      Traffic
      From
      Paradise,
      she
      takes
      her
      art
      to
      a
      singular
      new
      level.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      September
      23,
      1993/X-Press/21