Rickie Lee Jones: For No One
[purchase]
Rickie Lee Jones burst upon the scene in 1979, riding Chuck E’s in Love up the charts. She then proceeded, over the course of her next several albums, to establish herself as a remarkable songwriter. Then, out of nowhere, she released Pop-Pop, an album of all covers. Somewhat of a shock to those of us who had followed her career to that point, the album wound up emphasizing her skills as an arranger and interpreter.
Since then, Jones has periodically interrupted her songwriting showcases to release further albums of all covers. The one released in 2000 was called It’s Like This, and it included this version of For No One. Jones gives the song a spare arrangement, mostly piano with some organ for color, and the songwriting shines through. Jones’ version eloquently conveys the loneliness of the lyric.