Rickie Lee Jones once told an interviewer that she was no-way-not-at-all-not-one-bit-how-dare-you-even-suggest-it influenced by Joni Mitchell.
Rickie Lee Jones is in denial. Or lying.
Month: June 2015
Richard Thompson/ Richard & Linda Thompson
When your cheeriest lyric is about being “Nearly in Love” and your cheeriest melody is in a song about riding the “Wall of Death” … let’s just say, I bet Richard Thompson is a hoot at parties.
Replacements
The only time I ever did a stage dive was when I went to see the Lyres in Providence. I mention that here because the same guy who turned me on to the Lyres also introduced me to the Replacements. For which I am forever grateful. (Plus, I get to blow my kids’ minds with the image of their dad doing a stage dive.)
R.E.M.
For their first 10 albums or so, R.E.M. were pretty much the best American rock band out there. Then they, uh, weren’t. Bonus points for coming back strong with their last couple of records before calling it quits for good.
Regina Carter
My son Mark, who is black, is a violinist. That’s impressive enough. But throw in “female” and “jazz,” and you see why Regina Carter is in her own category of awesome.
Reggae
Also known as, “the only reggae songs anyone knows that aren’t by Bob Marley.” And even that might be pushing it unless you are Jamaican, or possibly a very cool Brit.
Ray Charles
The most important thing about Ray Charles is that he once recorded an album of duets with Betty Carter. OK, I guess that’s my most important thing about Ray Charles.
Ravi Shankar
Believe it or not, I don’t usually go in for 10+-minute instrumental drones. But any friend of George Harrison’s is a friend of mine.
Rap Women
This list is a tribute to the women pioneers who broke through the extremely dude-centered genre of rap. The range is impressive: At one end, we have Queen Latifah, who I hope will be my best friend in my next life. She just radiates positive energy, and she probably has a lot of hot gay friends she would be happy to fix you up with. At the other end, MC Lyte scares the **** out of me.
Randy Newman
When people got all offended by the song “Short People,” I was like, “Come on, it’s obviously a joke. Look at how short Randy Newman is!” Randy Newman is six feet tall. Further proof that you should never assume I know what I’m talking about.
Playlist of the Day 