__Bedroom
of a Saint Live and Acoustic, Reprise Records, 1995, By Ami Chen Mills
Rickie Lee's latest, Naked Songs, is Jones stripped,
crooning old tunes like "Chuck E.," and introducing new
songs like "Skeleton" and "Last Chance Texaco," a funny,
sad tune that incorporates oil company names into
its lyrics. Newcomers might turn off to her nasal twang and girlish lisp,
which are distinct with nothing but a
piano, guitar or bass in back. And the enthusiasm of the live audience
might annoy. But to turn off to Jones
would be a shame and a sin--get Traffic instead.
For fans, listening to Naked Songs
is like sneaking into Rickie Lee's bedroom. And the bedroom of a saint,
through a rarefied space, can be uncomfortable too. There's that lisp.
. . but if you love Jones, the lisp grows
endearing. The songs, so bare, are poignant, melodic and inventive.
For once, you'll get almost all
the words. And if you wondered about "Altar Boy": Yeah, she really
does say,
"A monk with a hard-on. . . [then,] In a lavender robe/That scratches
his thighs/For the height that he strolls
/As he follows a path/Filled with arid desire/That mimics his footsteps/And
sets his prayers/On fire." It's that
kind of dark, musical magical-realism that makes Rickie Lee a ragtag icon
for devotees.
If you're one, of course you'll
get Naked Songs. You'll get it 'cause Rickie Lee's like mom with wings.
And
on Naked, she's like mom singing bedside. The songs are rough, oddly nude.
But coming from mom, they're
familiar and, finally, really, perfectly beautiful.