New Collection of Pop, Rock and Jazz Covers from the '50s-'70s includes Sophisticated Takes on Material from the Likes of Louis Armstrong, Bad Company, Elton John, America & Steve Miller!

Rickie Lee Jones is that rare musician who has transcended the singer/songwriter mantle by incorporating different radio genres from the get-go and she continues that tradition on her newest collection of songs from the great American songbook entitled Kicks. The album spans two decades (50s-70s) of pop, rock and jazz, presenting her unique and sophisticated interpretations of these songs. It's fitting that one of the American treasures of songwriters should be comfortable with this diverse collection of the great songwriters of the 20th century - she is one of them.

On Kicks, she brings emotion to sleeper album tracks like "My Fathers Gun" and her tongue-in-cheek humor to songs like "Houston." The album is introduced by the insistent track of hope "Lonely People," which was a Top Five Billboard hit in 1974 for America. Weaving the connection between 70's rock and 50's jazz was no leap for Jones. "It is all part of what I heard growing up," says Jones. "The radio played everything! 1960's AM radio was the primordial zone for our musical life today. As a kid I heard R&B, country, rock, and the most sophisticated singer-songwriters of the day forming their genre. Radio was a college education for a budding musician because these songs are all playing on my internal radio all the time, it's not a stretch for me to put them together on an LP. Really, I just love to sing."

Kicks was created entirely in New Orleans, using local musicians, mixers and studios. Produced by Rickie Lee Jones with her band-mate, vibraphonist Mike Dillion, it features 10 songs of a highly infectious nature. Check out "Nagasaki," her traditional jazz offering of tight three-part harmonies, and "Bad Company," where Jones cuts loose on electric guitar. The striking cover art was created by artist Peregrine Honig.