Ticket 2 Ride

Many fans feel that her debut album, Rickie Lee Jones, remains her best album. As remarkable as that one is, her follow-up, Pirates (1981), is even better.

Second albums are the real test of an artist, the “sophomore slump” is a real thing. Solo artists or bands spend years working on and honing their early songs. After those are recorded and released, the label wants a follow-up, quickly, and the pressure is on to deliver something at least as good as the music they worked years to create. In this case, Jones outdid herself. Pirates is nearly flawless. I’ve never done this before, but my five songs are all from Pirates.

The critics seemed to agree. Rolling Stone said: “On Pirates, Rickie Lee Jones executes a brilliant artistic leap which not only outshines her Grammy-winning debut album but establishes her as one of the most important singer/songwriters of the decade.” The New York Times wrote: “is such a remarkable piece of work that Miss Jones’s first album now sounds like a somewhat tentative rehearsal for it.”

Jones wrote these five selections with the exception of “Traces of the Western Slopes”, which was co-written by Sal Bernardi. The album was once again produced by Warner Bros. in-house stalwarts Lenny Waronker (Randy Newman, James Taylor, Rufus Wainwright, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton) and Russ Titelman (Ry Cooder, George Harrison, George Benson, Steve Winwood).

As with her first album, the songs are very personal and the performance very passionate. Jones has a beautiful, flexible voice and she uses it magnificently on this album. Waronker and Titelman create stirring soundscapes to carry her voice. These songs do not match anything being released in 1981. Pirates is said to be mainly about her relationship with singer Tom Waits, who her music is often compared.

Jones seems to evoke a different generation, or at least a totally different music genre. She should be singing in Paris cafes or in basement cabarets where the smoke is thick and the language of disappointment is thicker. It does not surprise me that she has shifted gears to often cover songs by other artists. She is a stylist and music interpreter, any style from jazz to Broadway to folk to torch songs are in her wheelhouse.

“We Belong Together” A glorious, upbeat and sometimes soaring ballad.

“Living it Up”Simply, one of her best vocal performances ever. Both soft and loud.

“Pirates (So Long Lonely Avenue)” Jazzy, lots of horns, a bit of swing, reminds me of “Chuck E.’s in Love.”

“A Lucky Guy” Her former lover was a lucky guy. She’s not weepy at her loss, it was his loss.

“Traces of the Western Slopes” A very cinematic piece of music, marvelously orchestrated. At over eight minutes, this is a gorgeous song.

I will be seeing her in concert next week, my first time, and I’m thrilled. At age 70, she at the top of her game. Looking at her condensed set list for this tour, I’m not sure if any of my five will be on her list that night, but I’m hopeful that “Living it Up” or “We Belong Together” could appear that night.