> And, yes. Rickie Lee Jones really seemed to cop much more from Laura than > Joni. One reason I've never been too hip on Rickie was that IMO she was > always a second-rate Nyro (sorry Wally). > She never really had the true poetic originality that Laura possessed, and > musically was much more conventional and far less adventurous than Laura. A > bit of a poser to me, even though she picked a great one to copy. In a word, > overrated.
Ok people, who does this remind you of? I used to think pretty much the same thing about Rickie Lee, Billy. I was dead wrong. She is an original and if she was similar to Laura in the beginning, she has since taken her music into territory that Laura never ventured in to. I'm still getting to know a lot of her stuff but I think the poetry in 'We Belong Together' and 'Living It Up' is a match for anything Laura and possibly even Joni ever wrote. (Omigod is that blasphemy or what?) There are other examples as well. And quite frankly, I find Rickie's voice easier to listen to than Laura's. Don't get me wrong. I love Laura. There's never been a more passionate singer & I am constantly in awe of her courageous vocals. But I like Rickie Lee's voice better. Who can say why? When I saw Rickie Lee Jones in concert, I really became a true fan. Try one of her later releases if you think the first two are too much like Nyro. 'Flying Cowboys' has some great stuff. And most people don't seem overly fond of 'Traffic From Paradise' but I like it a lot. I'm so glad my friend Melanie introduced me to that record. Otherwise I might have been tempted to put it on the back burner. 'Stewart's Coat', 'Altar Boy' & 'Running From Mercy' are all great songs. > And sorry Mark. Didn't mean to dismiss Blondie's "Parallel Lines," but I > still much prefer the polished beauty of "Eat To The Beat." Yes, "Shayla" and > "Union City Blue" are great songs, but so is "Dreaming"--not to mention the > rave-up's "Living In The Real World" (companion piece to "Dreaming") and the > title track. I would agree that 'Eat to the Beat' is the superior record and 'Autoamerican' was pretty wretched. But 'Parallel Lines' is also a great record and parts of 'Plastic Letters' is pretty darn good as well. Mark E.
