Customer Reviews

Evening of My Best Day (Dig)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

It feels like forever since a release of original music from Rickie Lee Jones ("Ghostyhead", some 6 years ago and now impossible to find thanks to record company politics). Her long awaited return is also one of the best new releases of the year - and her best work since the one-two punch of her incredible debut and the follow up masterpiece "Pirates" (for my money, one of the 5 best albums ever recorded).
Slinky soul ballads, finger snapping jazz grooves and a voice that is weathered and childlike (sometimes on the very same note) are all over this project. Rickie has reunited with David Kalish (one of the featured performers on "Pirates") and he brings out everything you love about her music - and helps her add a ray of sunshine that's been missing since The Magazine's "Juke Box Fury".
No matter what you love about Rickie's music (and there is much to love about her), you are going to find it here. For fans of her acoustic ballader stylings, the title track is bound to be a new favorite. Full of sunny, hopeful lyrics and sweet guitar strumming, "Evening Of..." is classic Rickie.
"Little Mysteries" is the kind of R&B influenced track that reminds you how special Rickie is. The seductiveness of this song is outweighed only by its subject matter - Rickie's take on the 2000 presidential election (a subject that reappears on a number of songs - Rickie was never overtly political in her music, but her feelings about the Patriot Act and the Bush adminstration are a centerpiece of this project).
"Lap Dog" takes Rickie deeper into blues territory, and it is an area where she needs to concentrate - as always, this woman owns whatever musical genre she chooses to dip her toes into. Her voice carries this tune so well, it generates a huge "awe" factor.
"Ugly Man" is poetic improvisational jazz (and another swipe at George W.) - and shows why Rickie Lee deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Shirley Horn and Betty Carter (and possibly Cassandra Wilson)as one of America's great jazz chantrueses. Her voice blends so well with the instrumentation of this song.
"Sailor Song" is a folk-like Celtic voyage, "A Second Chance" is dirgelike in a "Skeletons" styled manner, and "A Face In the Crowd" is unlike anything you ever heard - remember how your ears stood up and paid attention as "We Belong Together" kept shifting rhythms, keys and beat - you get the same feeling from this song.
These songs are going to sound incredible live - anyone who has ever caught one of Rickie's shows knows how important live performances are to getting a true sense of how brilliant an artist she truly is (even if she is ALWAYS late).
This is a very special project by a one-of-a-kind artist. Hooray for refinding the muse - and showing us once again that talent can shine through.

Rickie Lee Jones has produced some outstanding music over the years, including the frequently mentioned Pirates and Flying Cowboys. In recent years she's also made a number of interesting and experimental albums, including the not-nearly-as-approchable "Ghostyhead" and some other work such as "Pop-Pop", a set of Jazz standards covers (before it was really hip to do that).

Her work is always idiosyncratic and exploratory, not mainstream. For years Flying Cowboys has been, in my opinion, the apothosis of her work. I eagerly anticipated this new CD....

And it doesn't disappoint. There are some moments of "stock RLJ" and the disc is not as unified a vision as many of the earlier albums, but there are no clunker songs here at all. Some of the work is etherial and not pop music, but it is all subtle, well-crafted, and beautiful work.

In a fit of irony, Amazon was selling this album with the new Edie Brickell disc "Volcano" (RLJ made an overseas disc called "Girl at Her Volcano" some years ago now) and playing the two back to back is just mean to Ms. Brickell, who's work is well produced, even, and entirely slick next to the entirely self-visionary Rickie Lee Jones.

I've seen Pirates or Flying Cowboys recognized by diverse artists over the years. This album should inspire a whole new generation.

Prior to this 2003 work, Rickie Lee Jones had released a total of three truly great albums. The eponymous debut, Pirates, and Flying Cowboys were landmark recordings and belong in the cd collection of anyone with an appreciation of jazz, blues, or rock. The problem is, the last of these recordings was released almost 15 years ago, the first a decade before that. While Ms. Jones has certainly released some nice discs since then, I had given up on the idea that she had another masterpiece in her. Apparently, she just needed the wrong man in the Oval Office to get the muse back.
This cd is a beauty. There is not a bad track on it. If you are reading this, you know what she is capable of, and she hit the proverbial home run. It will undoubtedly have a lofty spot on my best of the year list.
Wow, I guess there is something I am thankful to our current president for.

Rickie Lee Jones' famous childlike siren sound provides an amazing context for this profoundly mature CD. The tender thinness of her voice in some way lends more power to the social - political commentary of the protest songs on this album.

Jones identifies and speaks for the frightened child in all of us living in the reality of a world at war. She beautifully expresses our communal anger, fear and sense of loss in "Ugly Man" and "Tell Somebody". Jones displays a sort of militant maturity that affords her the clout to say what's on her mind and it mirrors the thoughts and concerns of many moms and dads living in the world today. 

But you don't have to agree with her political or philosophical views to hear resonant emotional ideas in this release. Jones once again takes us to the pinnacle of "cool" with her songs like "Second Chance", "It Takes You There", "The Evening Of My Best Day" and "A Face In The Crowd"

The music of this new CD is jazzy, complex, and fun to listen to. It is very reminiscent of the smooth "different world" groove that many fans first fell in love with in songs like "Chuck E's In Love" and "Texaco" and "Coolsville"

Rickie Lee Jones' career has been erratic at best. Her work has run the gamut, from brilliant (her 1979 debut, 1984's THE MAGAZINE and 1993's TRAFFIC FROM PARADISE) to so-so (2000's IT'S LIKE THIS) to downright dreadful (1997's GHOSTYHEAD, without a doubt the low point of Jones' quarter-century career). That's why THE EVENING OF MY BEST DAY is such a joy...it finds Jones in fine form, both lyrically and vocally. In fact, one of the high points of DAY is that Jones is once again SINGING most of the songs, versus mumbling her way thru them, a rather annoying habit she'd developed over the last decade. Opening up the disc is the jazzy shuffle of "Ugly Man", a pointed blast at George W. Bush. You have to give Jones credit...very few artists are willing to put their thoughts and feelings this far out there in the open. What's so amazing about the cut is the push-and-pull of it's heated lyrics and swaying jazz; one minute you're caught up in one element, then you're swept away by the other. By song's end, though, what blows you away is how well it all came together! "A Second Chance" is classic Jones, with it's sultry story-telling, pulsing bass, delicate woodwinds and popping percussion. Brilliant! "Bitchenostrophy" floats out of the speakers, like the hybrid child of some groovin' 60's Summer of Love mind trip and a French sidewalk cafe troubadour. The funny thing? Once again...it works! Next up is "Little Mysteries." With it's pulsating, almost threatening, vibe, the song builds and expands, drawing you into it's dark, inquiring storyline. Another direct hit at Dubya, the song is creatively accented with muted horns and tasteful guitars. "Lap Dog" is a dirgey lament that kind of drags on, but that's O.K. - up next is TEOMBD's best track, the rollicking "Tell Somebody(Repeal The Patriot Act Now)." With it's trippin', hip-swaying, hand-clapping testimonial, the song takes on an almost gospelesque quality. Once you get past the good-time vibe of the musical arrangement, the cut-to-the-bone lyrics are like a slap in the face. Things are changing in the U.S., with liberties and rights disappearing one by one. We all have to speak up and/or act, or before we know it, they'll all be gone. As Jones says at the end of the song "Oh people.....a democracy's only as good as the voices of protest she protects. Voices of protest.....rise up." "Sailor Song" has a wistful, longing quality to it, with an exceptionally aching vocal. "A Tree On Allenford" is Jones at her quirkiest and most hypnotic. Musically sparse, with bits of harmonica, cello and English horn blending in for a unique sound, it's really the cut's layered vocals that are the song's true core. "It Takes You There" is the best pop song Jones has written in twenty years. With it's thoughtful lyrics ("What you are/You can never erase/It's here/To the end of time", "And what you have/Will never be enough/You will always want more") and sweeping arrangement, this song just drifts out, hovering around the listener's head, reminding them of just how devoid today's pop music is of intelligent, thoughtful and well-crafted songs such as this one. A true gem! Things, however, kind of go downhill from here for THE EVENING OF MY BEST DAY - two of the last three tracks could have easily been left off (and in doing so, would have made DAY an even stronger disc). First off is "Mink Coat At The Bus Stop", a self-indulgent mish-mash that can't decide what it wants to be (Wistful? Power-chord driven? Jazzy?). This is the kind of free-form whooey that has hurt much of Jones' most recent work, and the sooner she moves away from it, the better. The same goes for the disc's closer, the awful "A Face In The Crowd".....this noisy, almost painful piece of hard rock ends the CD on a jittery, discordant note. It would have been much better to wrap things up with the second-to-last cut, the lovely title track. With it's simple piano, guitar and cello, it's clear here that Rickie Lee Jones has indeed experienced the evening of her best day. Here's hoping we get to experience the morning, noon, dusk....you get the picture!...with her in the future!

RLJ has always been an uneven artist for my taste. I've been hypnotized at times and put to sleep others by her. This time out, she scores big. Every track is uniquely distinct and highly produced, without being too glossy or slick. I honestly can't settle on my favorite cut at this point, but I know it's a disc that will continue to enchant me for years to come. If you've ever been a fan of hers, this is a must buy. Let her re-introduce herself for the first time. You'll recollect the familiarity that you initially loved, but you'll swear you can't precisely place where you've heard this before.

This is one of the most musical albums I've heard in years. Listen after listen convinces me that it's an absolutely outstanding album, and for those of us who have been disappointed by Rikki Lee Jones' other efforts since her peerless debut, this is an admirable and noteworthy sequel. I saw Jones in concert in Chicago, and it was hands down the best concert I've ever seen. It was such a joy to see someone so comfortable in her own musical skin, apparently happy with where she is musically and in her life. This is simply a wonderful album.

and so do the spirits. This is an indelible, rock solid body of new work destined to be a classic. In fact, the songs sound like classics...as if they've been around for a long time and have lovingly been gathered together again for this moment...to shine a light in the darkness.
Outstanding musicianship, adventuresome,playful singing and poetry-all the hallmarks of RLJ. Honesty and Bravery. Truth and Beauty beyond compare. It touches somewhere deep in the heart of things both earthly and ghostly.

"The Evening Of My Best Day" is a welcome return to songwriting for Rickie Lee Jones. She blends beautifully influences of Sly & The Family Stone, Steely Dan, Taj Mahal, American Folk and Rock to come up with the studio gem of 2003. I saw Rickie and her nine piece band ( harmonica, flute, violin, accordian, bass, guitars, drums & keyboards ) in a small club at a warm-up concert in the L.A. area. Immediatley the crowd knew they were hearing something special. It's like an artist free of record company control making a musical statement like "Now this is the real me". The backbone to this album is "Tell Somebody". Ms. Jones has obviously been fed up with what's going on in America after 9/11 sending out a message that people can stand up for their rights without fear of a backlash. After hearing this album four times I can't think of a studio release that moved me like this since Bob Dylan's "Time Out Of Mind". Rickie's back, creating like days of "Flying Cowboys" and "Traffic From Paradise".

This is a pleasant enough CD if you're willing to lower your expectations a good ways from the average review here. It has grown on me with repeated listening, even if it isn't her best material ever - and it's nice to have some new songs from a favorite singer. If you're expecting the best thing since "Pirates" or thereabouts, though, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

I've loved Rickie Lee from the moment I saw her draped over a piano on SNL singing "Coolsville" a quarter century ago, and as someone below wrote, I'd probably pay to hear her sing the phone book. Unfortunately, buying this CD is more like doing just that than like buying "Rickie Lee Jones", "Pirates", or "Magazine", her first three brilliant recordings. It is nowhere near the level of "Flying Cowboys", which I considered a nice comeback years ago. This recording contains some fairly good songs, some mediocre songs, and a few embarrassingly awkward attempts at political commentary. "Ugly Man" is itself ugly, making Ani DiFranco sound like a subtle and sophisticated political commentator. It's a shame for heavyhanded, juvenile rhetoric to mar the typically subtle and sophisticated style of a Rickie Lee Jones song. I'd have no idea what "Tell Somebody" was about if it didn't have "Repeal the Patriot Act" as a subtitle, and I didn't find the gospel style well suited to this particular singer. Fortunately, Ms. Jones focuses on her strengths on most of the songs here, which are about everyday life, not about current events.

There are no great songs here, and there are some disappointments. I have to agree somewhat with one reviewer who felt the muse had departed, and that this is a shadow of the singer who once was. Her aging voice is used gracefully enough, but don't expect her to be able to still belt out songs with the modulations in volume used on "Pirates" or "Magazine". Ms. Jones uses a curious girlish intonation often swallowed in choruses of background voices for entire songs, and at other times, as one reviewer noted, she sounds like she has a bad cold, particularly on the title track. She still sounds cool though, she's still on key, mostly, and her phrasing is still magnificent. The songs themselves are simply mediocre vehicles, and the melodies and great lyrics are gone along with youthful energy. The instrumentation doesn't please in some cases; repeated use of wah-wah guitars and horns, especially on "Little Mysteries", reminded me of the theme from (the original) "Shaft" at times - ironic, because her ever-so-cool music back in the late 70's was a great antidote to such sounds in the disco years.

Someone below made a comparison to Neil Young's "Freedom". I had thought of the same recording on listening to this CD. Mr. Young made a great comeback with a scathing protest at the beginning of the Bush, Sr. years. Ms. Jones has made an enjoyable but ultimately tame and forgettable recording in the Bush, Jr. years, that makes me wince at weak attempts to protest political problems that should be easy marks. I find the other songs generally no more than pleasant background music after repeated listenings, and their greatest strength is simply their novelty - I can listen to Rickie Lee without listening to songs I've heard 100 times before. The title track is particularly disappointing, a slow unadorned number where her voice and lyrics are allowed to stand out. Compared with songs like "Company" or "After Hours", one sadly senses an artist in decline. Decline is OK, and it's a bit like buying a new Joni Mitchell CD. The glory days are long gone, the voice is fading, the lyrics and music are less inspired, but there are pleasure to be found here, even smiles.

I'd still go see Rickie Lee perform anytime, but this CD is nothing special. Don't buy the "greatest thing since Pirates" hype, and maybe you won't be as disappointed as I was. This is a far cry from her debut, from "Pirates", from "Magazine", from "Flying Cowboys". And that's OK. Just don't expect the thrill of her older material, and you may well have an enjoyable enough listening experience.