Rickie Lee Jones

I started to write this blog post on Rickie Lee Jones‘ career (or a snippet thereof) and of course got all caught up in YouTube. It seems I can’t do anything musically these days without heading straight to the site to get my fix. You see, even though I saw Rickie Lee about 15 years ago, I wasn’t close enough to get the full effect. She is an amazing songwriter and performer (if you don’t already know this, check out this link for a video of a 1985 concert in Paris).

I’ve watched a few of these videos and have come to feel that she has a likeness to Bruce Springsteen. The similarity is partly in her epic, storytelling songs, and partly something else that’s simply un-nameable. It’s just a feeling; something to do with combining youthful angst and passion with intense imagery. If the above link didn’t have you cruising around YouTube like a kid in bumper cars, check out this link.

Like Springsteen, her voice is not flawless, but it’s still beautiful and the passion she emits draws you in. She’s also very proficient on her instruments, and uses a lot of jazz chords, both on piano and guitar. She keeps you guessing about who she really is and what she might really be thinking. One more, check out this concert appearance and watch the interview at the end.

Kristin Kirby

April 8th, 2009 by admin | Posted in Artisits | (0)