Rickie Lee Jones - Pop Pop

80% saccharine, 12% okay, 8% genius

For those who like their saccharine straight up, this album poses few challenges. Rickie sings her slouchy style competently enough, serving up a a candy colored bouquet of easy listening tracks. Only three of these blossoms have any thorns -- 9, 11 and 12. Of these, 12 is a real gem of feeling and honesty leaving the cutsey crap well behind. Would an album filled with songs only like track 12 sell? Probably not, but it would be glorious. September 18, 2007

Great revival of some timeless classics

This CD is full of smooth and laid back revivals of some melodies of the last 50 years, delivered in Rickie Lee Jones' unique style. Her delivery can best be described as vulnerable, with her soft voice wavering and floating over the lyrics.

Rickie's version of the classic "Hi-Lili Hi-Lo" revives this work and she pulls off the line "A song of love is a sad song, ask me how I know" to great effect.

Her version of "Second Time Around" seems real with her phrasing and pauses that seem almost conversational.

"I'll Be Seeing You" is mellow, with a clarinett complimenting every line. She ends with the sad line "I'll be looking at the moon but I'll be seeing you."

"Bye Bye Blackbird" comes across fun and jazzy.

"I Won't Grow Up" comes across less Hollywood from the Frank Sanatra version from one of his movies.

"Love Junkyard" is full of odd lyrics, testimony to the creativity and sarcasm of earlier generations.

The CD ends with the very spooky and odd "Comin' Back to Me" that sneeks up on you because she whispers before she sings. This final song haunts like a ghost as Ricki's voice becomes mournful and almost deranged from loss of her lover as she sings "I saw you coming back to me".

A wonderfully mellow and even quality CD.

October 9, 2005

Nora Jones could take some lessons from Rickie Lee...

I'll keep this short and sweet...this is a GREAT smooth jazzy album of purely good music....propelled by the ever-cool RLJ and the always tasty Robben Ford....it almost seems like Norah copied the format but caught it in a toime when the ever-so-unpredictable public were ready for smooth, real music.BUY THIS CD.... September 14, 2004

The Best of its Kind

When the question is asked, "What pop singer did the best jazz standards covers," answers that tend to pop up are Linda Ronstadt and Rod Stewart. No, actually: Rickie Lee Jones' "Pop Pop" is the one. I'd give it 4 and 1/2, in truth; but the "best of" anything, no matter how esoteric, ultimately gets 5 in my book. The selections that stick with me are "Love Junkyard," "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," and "My One and Only Love." Ms. Jones has a most interesting voice: at once playful and plaintive, worldly and coquettish. I've heard slightly better covers of these done by Mark Murphy,Johnny Hartman and the New York Voices, among others: but if Rickie Lee Jones leads you to singers like Mark Murphy, Johnny Hartman and the New York Voices, she's definitely worth the ride. As it is, this album is worth having. Recommended. March 30, 2004

Ahh....

Everything that's right with music is in this CD: well-written tunes, inspired performance, creative arranging/interpretation and no excess playing. This was my first real introduction to her music and there's no doubt I will be buying more. It makes you realize how powerful a great song and a great vocalist can be. I'm usually more one for instrumental music, but this makes you realize why once in awhile you need to hear the human voice. The guitar playing is masterful as well. There's a couple of jazz tunes on here that I had gotten sick of, but now am dying to play myself.

I'm hardly a RLJ expert, so I can't compare this to anything else of hers...yet. I've listened to this disc about 15 times through and through and I'm still in love with it.

Dave ... June 11, 2003

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