RICKIE LEE JONES : LIVE AT RED ROCKS

 

  1. Rodeo Girl
  2. Satellites
  3. We Belong Together
  4. Coolsville
  5. Weasel and the White Boys Cool
  6. Chuck E's in Love
  7. Just My Baby
  8. Flying Cowboys
  9. Youngblood
  10. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
  11. Love Is Gonna Bring Us Back Alive (with Lyle Lovett)
  12. Gloria

Label : Artemis Records

Release Year : January 20, 2002

Venue : Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado, USA

Recording Date : 2001

Length : 67:35

Review (AllMusic) : One of the more eclectic souls when it comes to the outskirts of adult contemporary pop, Rickie Lee Jones originally didn't foresee this 2001 concert from Colorado being released. However, the disc is a welcomed array for die-hard fans and newcomers alike. With most of the songs running over five minutes, certain numbers take on a life of their own, particularly the supporting solos on "Weasel and the White Boys Cool." Opening with a rather rollicking "Rodeo Girl," the singer opts for a quieter, jazzier feel on later numbers such as "Just My Baby." There is a slight problem on the song, though, as her voice tends to get lost in the mix slightly, but such is the case with live shows and recordings of them. While touching on most of her more famous tracks, including "Chuck E.'s in Love," a few songs tend to get swallowed in a Muzak fashion, as is the case with "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying." It's a small price to pay, though, for the following Caribbean-tinged duet with Lyle Lovett on "Love Is Gonna Bring Us Back Alive." In "Coolsville," she sings that "the real singer's back in town." After hearing this album, listeners would agree that she definitely has a point.

Review (All About Jazz) : Live records are perhaps the most precarious of balancing acts. For too many artists, ventures into unplugged territory prove to be nothing more than overproduced exercises in self-indulgence. On the contrary, Live At Red Rocks, the most recent release from Rickie Lee Jones, is a refreshingly satisfying jaunt into this well-traveled arena. In contrast to her 1995 live release Naked Songs, Red Rocks is not about showcasing Jones as a stripped down, acoustic singer-songwriter. But rather it is about showcasing her as a well-rounded and energized whole performer. Her latest finds Jones backed by a stellar band and, thus, is to be celebrated just as much for her passionate and alluring vocals as it is for the exceptional and ornate instrumentation. Not surprisingly, Red Rocks is a testament to the fact that Jones' music is a melting pot of sorts-doses of folk, jazz, and R&B have long made their way into her catalogue. Highlights include a nearly eight minute bluesy version of "Weasel and the White Boys Cool," complete with trumpet solo, the catchy-but-ethereal "Satellites" and a wonderfully lighthearted duet with Lyle Lovett on "Love is Gonna Bring Us Back Alive." Red Rocks is certainly not groundbreaking in its attempt. That, however, does not change the fact that it successfully captures the spirit of a live performance as well as a any record is able. In the end, Jones proves that she can balance the toughest of acts...with the scale still in her favor.

Review (Amazon) : Time was when Rickie Lee Jones and Tom Waits were fellow travelers with a shared neo-boho, singer-songwriter style, the self-conscious musical equivalent of characters from an Edward Hopper tableau. But unlike Waits, who got in touch with his inner Beefheart and embraced a more avant-garde approach, Jones has largely stayed the cocktail crooner course, refining her melodic sensibility and continuing to inject generous doses of folk, jazz, R&B, and world music influences into her itinerant hipster shtick. (Strains of reggae, zydeco, and Dixieland, along with a vocal assist from Lyle Lovett, find their way into this album's version of "Love Is Gonna Bring Us Back Alive.") Compared to Naked Songs, her 1994 plunge into the realm of the unplugged, this live outing is more representative of the full range of Jones's strengths, with gloriously polished yet vital renditions of favorites such as "Rodeo Girl," "Satellites," "Coolsville," and the obligatory "Chuck E.'s in Love." Along the way, Jones serves up memorable covers of "Gloria" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," dispenses onstage parental advice, and, inspired by exceptional vocal and instrumental arrangements throughout, generally sings up a storm. Like Joni Mitchell before her and Sophie B. Hawkins after, Jones may no longer be the commercial flavor of the month, but this live recording serves as an engaging testament to her steadfast artistry.