Traffic from Paradise

Tracks:
Pink Flamingos
Altar Boy
Stewart's Coat
Beat Angels
Tigers
Rebel Rebel
Jolie Jolie
Running From Mercy
A Stranger's Car
The Albatross

Performer Notes:

• Personnel: Rickie Lee Jones (vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, keyboards); John Leftwich (acoustic guitar, cello, bass, background vocals); Sal Bernardi (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Dean Parks (electric guitar); David Baerwald (guitar); Bobby Bruce (violin); Doug Lyons (French horn); Jim Keltner (drums); Brad Dutz, Efrain Toro (percussion); Teresa Tudury, Syd Straw (background vocals); Lyle Lovett, Leo Kottke, Brian Setzer, David Hidalgo.
• Recorded at Conway Recording Studios, Oceanway Studios and Signet Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California.
• Personnel: Rickie Lee Jones (acoustic guitar, mandolin, keyboards); Leo Kottke (vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar, slide guitar); Sal Bernardi (vocals, acoustic guitar); Teresa Tudury (vocals); John Leftwich (guitar, cello, background vocals); David Hidalgo (electric guitar, 8-string guitar, background vocals); David Baerwald, Brian Setzer (electric guitar, background vocals); Dean Parks (electric guitar); Bobby Bruce (violin); Doug Lyons (French horn); Brad Dutz (marimba, bodhran, percussion); Alex Acu?a (drums, congas); Jim Keltner (drums); Efrain Toro (percussion); Lyle Lovett, Syd Straw (background vocals).
• Audio Mixer: Julie Last.
• Recording information: Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Oceanway Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Signet Sound Studios, Los Angles, CA.
• Director: John Leftwich.
• Unknown Contributor Roles: Rickie Lee Jones; Leo Kottke; Brad Dutz.
• "Just give me many chances ... time to learn to crawl," sings Rickie Lee Jones on this, her fifth album of new material in 14 years. Clearly, she's had a lot of chances already, and some have paid off big, notably her first two albums, Rickie Lee Jones and Pirates. Here, however, Jones has made a record of what sound like rough performances of musical ideas that might at some point become songs and then, with some work, acceptable recordings. As it is, the record is vague and unfocused, only aspiring to coherence when someone other than the singer/songwriter/producer is heard from, such as on the two songs co-written by Leo Kottke. Too much of the time, Jones sounds like she's singing half-forgotten songs in the calm aftermath of an all-night party, and the result is wispy and fragmentary, even when, on David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel," you know there's a real song in there somewhere. ~ William Ruhlmann

Professional Reviews: Rolling Stone (10/28/93, p.80) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...[Ricki Lee Jones]' vocals bleed beauty and turmoil....TRAFFIC FROM PARADISE is more a quiet storm of acoustic daydreams than a collection of singles..."

Q (11/93, p.122) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...[TRAFFIC FROM PARADISE] may be as close as [Rickie Lee Jones] has come in a while to the grandeur of PIRATES...

Producer: Rickie Lee Jones

Format: CD (1 Disc); Stereo

Country: USA

Studio/Live: Studio

Guest Artist: Lyle Lovett; Leo Kottke; Brian Setzer; David Hidalgo; David Baerwald; Syd Straw

Release Date: 14 September, 1993

Label: Geffen Records

Dimensions: 12.6 x 1.1 x 14 centimeters (0.03 kg)