RICKIE LEE JONES - FLYING COWBOYS (NUMBERED LIMITED EDITION GOLD CD)

Like only a handful of her contemporaries, Rickie Lee Jones creates music that defies clear-cut labeling. You can hear elements of old-school country, jazz, and a Fleetwood Mac-esque brand of pop in her tunes. Clearly though, her music is lyric driven, and FLYING COWBOYS is no exception. Each tune is poetic, and the passion of Jones's singing supports songs about loneliness and despair, and, alternately, the occasional ode to triumph and joy. The latter is best epitomized by the first track on the album, "The Horses," a gorgeous song dedicated to Jones's daughter.

Producer Walter Becker places his distinctive stamp on FLYING COWBOYS. Employing many of Becker's longtime associates (including saxophonist Bob Sheppard, who shines on "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"), and other elite Los Angeles studio pros, the record carries that signature, studio-honed sound that he helped to define with Steely Dan.