I have always, always been a huge fan of Rickie Lee Jones. She's an original, most definitely. One thing I would mention in addition to this terrific essay is that she had an easy relationship with male instrumentalists that very few singers enjoy. They respected her and her vision...and fun was had by all.
That's such a huge point Suzanne. Wish I could find the quote from Walter Becker around the time of Flying Cowboys (which he produced), saying essentially that from the very first rehearsals, she had the players in the room listening on a kind of "high alert." and dialed into the nuances of her writing/phrasing etc. putting together an RLJ playlist for tomorrow....
I always thought walking that fine line between gaining fame (for a woman) and maintaining the respect from male musicians as especially tough. Joni Mitchell did it, but it doomed other women (like Jones) to always remain on the margins. There's a paper in that dynamic somewhere...looking forward to the playlist!
I have always, always been a huge fan of Rickie Lee Jones. She's an original, most definitely. One thing I would mention in addition to this terrific essay is that she had an easy relationship with male instrumentalists that very few singers enjoy. They respected her and her vision...and fun was had by all.
That's such a huge point Suzanne. Wish I could find the quote from Walter Becker around the time of Flying Cowboys (which he produced), saying essentially that from the very first rehearsals, she had the players in the room listening on a kind of "high alert." and dialed into the nuances of her writing/phrasing etc. putting together an RLJ playlist for tomorrow....
I always thought walking that fine line between gaining fame (for a woman) and maintaining the respect from male musicians as especially tough. Joni Mitchell did it, but it doomed other women (like Jones) to always remain on the margins. There's a paper in that dynamic somewhere...looking forward to the playlist!