Customer Reviews

Balm in Gilead

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Eclectic. That has GOT to be Rickie Lee Jones' middle name! Throughout her 30 year career, she has been absolutely fearless, always unafraid to try something new. Heck, in the last decade alone, she's bounced from 2000's hit and miss covers album IT'S LIKE THIS to 2003's sdgier, angrier EVENING OF MY BEST DAY, then back to 2006's brilliant (and polarizing; people seemed to either love or hate it!) concept disc, THE SERMON ON EXPOSITION BLVD.
Now she's back with BALM IN GILEAD, her most structured, straight-ahead album in years. This is the disc fans of Jones' debut album, PIRATES and THE MAGAZINE have been waiting years for. Pretty much every song has a beginning, a middle and an end, while Jones' vocals are crisper, cleaner and more focused than they've been in ages. For me, the great thing about BALM IN GILEAD is that, while it's going to make old school fans VERY happy, it's still quirky enough to keep fans of the Geffen years (and beyond) smiling.
Kicking things off is the ebullient "Wild Girl", a song Jones wrote for her daughter on the eve of her 21st birthday (However, upon hearing the lyrics "Wild girl, you must have been a terror/When you were young", you can't help but wonder if there's also a tiny bit of an autobiographical vibe at play here!). Strong vocals, a relaxed arrangement and clever lyrics ("But it wasn't very nice/Eating all that sugar and spice/What they want a girl to be") add up to an instant classic. VERY nice!
"Old Enough" is a sweet duet with Ben Harper. Punctuated by popping horns, both lead vocals weave in and out, blending in a way that is so rare in duets nowadays. There's a give and take here that is just stunning! Toss in some killer keyboard fills (both piano and organ), and you have a track that is smooth, playful, melodic and sweet. Without a doubt, Jones' best duet since "Between A Laugh & A Tear", her masterful pairing with John Mellencamp on his SCARECROW album.
Up next is the country-tinged "Remember Me." If you didn't know better, you would swear this was a decades-old Nashville standard, vs. a Rickie Lee Jones original. Bolstered by Vic Chestutt on harmony vocals and Alison Krauss' (as always) stellar violin, a cut that could have been pure camp shines bright and true.
The same can be said about the jazzy "The Moon Is Made Of Gold." Written years ago by Jones' father, this could have turned into a piece of total kitch, but it actually works. The elder Jones had a nice, simple way with a lyric, while the arrangement has a cool big band groove to it (Amazingly, the instrumentation is totally stripped down, consisting of just rhythm and lead guitars and upright bass, yet it's full-bodied and lush). A very unassuming, yet captivating, number.
Some people might have a problem with "His Jeweled Floor", but I love it. With it's layered vocals and Old World hymn-like vibe, the song fills the room with a celestial calm. Minimal, yet meaty, this is the sort of out-of-left-field track that BALM needed right about now to add a little bit of an edge (Can't have people thinking Rickie Lee was mellowing out too much now, can we?!?).
"Eucalyptus Trail" is really the only song that doesn't work for me. Plodding and lacking of any energy whatsoever, the track is unfocused and underdeveloped. Worst of all is Jones' vocal...spiritless, droning and lacking any color at all, this is the album's only real misstep, but believe me, it's a doozy!
"The Blue Ghazel" is an instrumental that probably would have worked better on SERMON..., but it's actually a nice little addition here as well. Part jazz, part rock, part sound effects, the song is the kind of understated interlude that doesn't really take things to another level, but it does allow for a nice stretch. Once again, some will love it, some will hate it. I'm in the former camp!
Things revert back to "normal" with "The Gospel Of Carlos, Norman And Smith." A killer lead vocal from Jones, minimal (yet heartfelt) instrumentation, sterling harmony vocals (courtesy of Chris Joyner) and powerful lyrics ("When hope is the color of a man/The color of love is the color that can/Stand for something") all come together perfectly. Another winner.
"Bonfires" is one of the most achingly beautiful songs that Jones has ever penned. Supported only by her own guitar playing, her plaintive vocal washes over the heart-tugging, universal (everyone's been here!) lyrics ("You hurt me bad this time/You nearly tore me from my mind/Before I knew I had been hurt/She laid her hair across your shirt"). Honest, evocative, real....things don't get much better than this!
"Bayless St." could've easily been recorded on a street corner in a small provincial French village; it has that kind of intimate, warm vibe. All guitars and mandolins and accordian-esque organ, the track is down right charming, from start to finish. Anchored by a lead vocal that is both dreamy and a tad bit girlish, you have the perfect ending to an already super strong effort.
It's going to be interesting to see where Jones goes from here. BALM IN GILEAD is a definite nod to her past, but I can't see her staying there. In fact, by looking back on this project, I'm betting we'll see a very different Rickie Lee Jones on her next release. And there's something both exciting and comforting in that knowledge. You might even say soothing...you know, as in a sort of BALM! (As with all my reviews, I'm giving the disc an extra half a star for including the lyrics).

Rickie Lee Jones once again serves notice as to why she deserves to be considered one of the most prolific and visionary songwriters of our time - every one of these tunes are meticulously crafted as songwriting once was and the musicianship is impeccable....Contrary to many aging songwriters who have written their best long ago, Rickie Lee Jones just keeps getting better and better - this record will be debated as perhaps being her very best ever!

Another beautiful album from Rickie Lee Jones, as expected. She is a consummate poet and musician. Simplicity is beautiful, and she is deceptively simple, but so powerful. Some how she always manages to get my sentimental emotions stirred up, especially when she does the song her father wrote. And with "The Blue Ghazel" not only does she do it with only the music, but she had me go to the dictionary to find out what a ghazel was, and I learned something in the bargain. Of course, I'll buy anything from her because its always new, and she's been one of my favorite artists/poets for close to thirty years now. Buy this album!

The one thing I love about Rickie Lee Jones is her consistency for being inconsistent. For many artists, that is such a bad thing, because they can't maintain any talent. She's not of that ilk.

Rickie is not exactly all over the place as a recording artist, but she doesn't tend to do the same thing twice. Ever. But she always does a superb job at what she does release. So there's that.

For the longest of time "Chuck E.'s in Love" grated on my nerves (due to radio saturation), but the rest of her debut disk was stellar. It was with 'Pirates' that I truly was enamored of her though. Not a bad song on that disk.

She has since flirted with full-on jazz, standards, covers, pop and spoken word music. You know my thoughts on covers, but man she does such justice to Traffic's "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys", it's worth the price of the disk alone.

No longer on a major label, her releases kind of fly under the radar now (not that there were huge pushes for them before). Her new one is just out: 'Balm in Gilead'.

I can't really describe it, but I've never been able to adequately pin down Jones. Her voice, singing and spoken, is like no other. She weaves it around her words and her music in a way that is inimitable. She's not quite folk or pop, not quite jazz - and yet she's all those things.

I could go on and on about the songs, but you'll really have to listen to them. I like "Wild Girl" a lot. Ditto with "Remember Me" and "The Moon is Made of Gold".

Not meaning to sound like a douche or anything, but Jones is really one of those lost treasures that you have to discover. Or rediscover. She's made it a bit easier with 'Balm of Gilead'.

In America, we sometimes tend to forget the best artists among us. Rickie Lee Jones can change the atmosphere of a room. I keep on listening to "Wild Girl" over and over again. It's like I wish it would go on forever. "Bonfires" is a falling star lighting up a purple sky. The duet "Old Enough" is so sweet, funky, and sassy. It would make Marvin and Tammi proud to have recorded it. In this age of fiberglass. go out find a gem. Look no further, Rickie Lee Jones is that treasure.

The albums by Rickie Lee Jones from the last decade suffer for a lack of direction, and most of all for a lack of many good songs; even her two previous albums are miles away from the beauty of her firts efforts (from 1979 up to the mid '90).
This album in a pleasant return to the sound of her firts albums, and there's a lot of atmosphere here.
Worth buying.

oh, well, finally we can meet again one of the greatest singer-songwriter of our time. this recording reminds me to the first one and the great Pirates. great songs, great musicians, great Rickie Lee. everything is perfect here. listen to it many times and it will make you happy.

There's a Banner Rising and it bears a familiar name: Rickie Lee Jones. It heralds the release of another beautiful record, Balm in Gilead. How lucky to be on the planet as Rickie continues to weave her musical magic. A banquet of spirit, poems and images both personal and universal: everyone is invited to this table, as they have always been. Speaking of which, I urge you to catch Rickie LIVE in concert should you ever have the opportunity for though her recordings are hugely important to me, it is LIVE that the songs take on new meanings, improvisational moments that take one's breath away, that go right to the well of the heart and wake things up that you didn't know were sleeping. Balm in Gilead rises up as all of Rickie's records do, just at the right time. I know you will love this record. Now go get it.

I've been a Ricki Lee Jones fan for years - from the very beginning. I actually saw her and Tom Waits at the Pantry in Los Angeles after one of her concerts - which I attended that night - that was a trip.
Anyway, this is really, really one of her best albums ever and that's saying something. It's such a reward to stick by your favorite artists thru thick and thin and then they pay you back with such a treat!

I second every thing said by the previous reviewer who feels this may be the best Rickie Lee has ever done. I can only say that this is one of my "take to the island" cds and I've only heard it twice. If only there were a large group of artists with her sensibilities and talent. It was a pleasure to see her perform last year in a small restaurant near Boston in Summerville. Please come to Tallahassee-we need grownup entertainers like you!!!!!