Not since
Billie Holiday has there been a vocalist who so completely transforms a song into her own. On It's Like This, eclectic folkie
Rickie Lee Jones envelops standards, showtunes, '70s soul, and even slick jazz-rock, interpreting them with her familiar childlike, breathy shouts. In a very similar vein as 1991's Pop Pop,
Jones pulls together a collection of diverse songs from throughout the 20th century and gives them a sparse, fragile spin, kind of like
Diana Krall and
Björk sharing coffee at an all-night diner.
Produced by
Bruce Brody (who has also worked with
Maria McKee and
Bette Midler), this album is really a showcase for the dynamic vocalist -- her voice pitching and yawing like a sloop far out at sea. Several notable artists scatter themselves unobtrusively throughout the album like
Joe Jackson,
Ben Folds,
John Pizzarelli, and
Taj Mahal; each lend a subtle bassline or harmony vocal, cautiously not stepping on any of
Jones' delicate lines.
Her passionate, earthy version of
Marvin Gaye's "blaxploitation" hit "Trouble Man" is as soulful as her cover of
the Beatles' "For No One" is pleading, each reaching out to the listener like a whisper from an inch away.
Jones' unmistakable style is unlike anyone else's, and that fact alone will turn away some potential listeners; however, for fans of gentle jazz-pop, It's Like This is an intimate, dreamy wander through the songbooks of the last century. ~ Zac Johnson, All Music Guide
