ALBUM REVIEWS : Jones’ ‘Naked Songs’ Reveals Complexity : (** 1/2) RICKIE LEE JONES, “Naked Songs” <i> Reprise</i>

Legions of pop artists go through entire careers without expressing the emotional purity and complexity that Jones can pack into a single vocal phrase. So the only question when it comes to a live album is whether the collection contains the most affecting songs from Jones’ rich but inconsistent body of work.

Rest assured.

In “Naked Songs,” Jones and her co-producer Russ Titelman have generally selected tunes wisely, mixing songs of love, life and yearning that combine storytelling sophistication and confessional urgency.

From her early “Chuck E.’s in Love” to the more recent “Stewart’s Coat,” Jones’ own 14 tunes here are gloriously personal and heartwarmingly therapeutic. The performances are drawn from last year’s solo acoustic tour and, except for bassist Rob Wasserman on two tracks, feature only her own piano or guitar accompaniment.

The only clumsy note is a strained version of the pop standard “Autumn Leaves” that closes the album on a strangely anticlimactic note.

Despite the generally uplifting tone, there is a remarkable intimacy and tension to the music because Jones uses her voice--hushed then harsh, in focus then slipping into hazy asides--to remind us of moments of pain even when she is comforting us with the prospects of a silver lining. An artist of the top rank.