Jim Pinckney encounters a revitalized Rickie Lee Jones with her first new songs in over a decade.
Thirty six years since she released her self titled debut, Rickie Lee Jones is back with her 12th album, and best in some time, The Other Side Of Desire. Breaking a creative dry spot, that has seen her wrestle with writers block and becoming more of an interpreter, Jones appears to have gone some way to reconnecting with her mojo. It’s the first new music she has written in over a decade, and at the heart of that is a shift to the musical Mecca of New Orleans, leaving California, and starting a new life in the place where her father finished his. It’s clear that she has managed to find peace and fortitude in a city that has undergone massive trauma, and while it may not always be overt, you can sense that the abundantly rich musical culture of the Crescent City is coursing through the veins of every song on this record.
Songs featured: Blinded By The Hunt, Jimmy Choos, J’ai Connais Pa, Christmas In New Orleans, Finale, I Wasn’t Here, Waltz De Mon Pere, Haunted
