FALL ROUNDUP
- Share via
RICKIE LEE JONES
âTraffic From Paradiseâ
Geffen
* * *
Jonesâ first new collection of original material in four years is both about, and full of, grace. Although it has no genre elements, the sumptuously gentle âTraffic From Paradiseâ is almost her version of a gospel album, populated by more angels than a Wim Wenders movie and full of longings for the type of reconciliation that might only be possible in some guided hereafter.
Spiritual allusions aside, itâs infused with a motherâs mercy and a recent divorceeâs darker musings, which creates a healthy emotional tension. The music is anything but tense: This self-produced work is Jonesâ most âunpluggedâ record, with emphasis taken from the acoustic influence of recent frequent collaborator Leo Kottke.
A mid-album acoustic version of Bowieâs âRebel Rebelâ provides playfulness, but most of what comes quietly before and after is pretty much pure tone poetry. Jonesâ gift for subtle harmony is unerring, even under the spontaneous conditions under which these songs were briskly written and recorded; a few tunesâ teasingly elusive lyrics, though, couldâve benefited from longer baking time.
In any case, by the time âTrafficâ moves through some ambiguous passages toward its paradisiacal climax in âThe Albatross,â itâs beautifully clear that thereâs peace in the post-beat valley after all.
New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
More to Read
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.