Photo by Astor Morgan

There’s something disturbing and unsettling about Rickie Lee Jones. Her haunted voice, the prescient knowing, the disregard for convention and her necessity to sing a song from the inside out exposes a depth and profundity that people rarely hear in other artists. Her own compositions and the songs that she interprets become more than just music – more like prophecy or, at the very least, messages from her unruly unconscious that depicts both nightmarish and ethereal dreamscapes. The Devil You Know, produced by Ben Harper, is the eccentric blonde’s fourth collection of covers and shows that she is much more than a ‘80s style icon with her perfect hair and red beret. Rather, after all these years, she is still a force to be reckoned with.

How do you know when it’s time to make an album?

Money keeps me working. If I had a lot of money, I might not write more. But when I’m running out of money, I think that’s a good alarm. And maybe some other dial that says it’s time to move on to another place. When I’m writing, it’s not just for my career – my life moves to another space on the board.

Why did you choose the title album The Devil You Know ?

The Devil You Know is in reference to my life and what I see happening around me. People are intent on settling with the devil they know because they are so afraid of what will take its place. And I’m not making a judgment. Maybe the devil you know is the best kind, but you don’t know until you make a move.

*Ben Harper called you his “twin.” *

I don’t know what he meant. He is emanating so much love all the time, and maybe it has to do with his perception or understanding of me always being on emotionally. I know there was one moment, a few days in, when I went to hug him, and he hugged me with his body back. I said, “Oh, you’re a careful hugger” and he said, “Yes, I am.” I thought, “This tells me volumes about him.” Which means he’s always on emotionally and he’s aware of every little nuance of our voices and our bodies. He’s taking care not to touch me unless he means to touch me. I thought, “That’s pretty deep water so quickly, but OK, I’m with you on that.” That’s such a loving and caring thing to do. He set the pace for us and it set a pace for trust.

Is there a sacrosanct artist for you?

There are a few records by Van Morrison that are just perfect. People hardly ever get to perfect and you certainly [can’t] do it by sheer force of will. It’s like some kind of energy falls upon them. Astral Weeks was unlike anything and, within that, he hit this spiritual vein that has never, ever stopped giving. [You can also clearly hear it] on Moondance and Veedon Fleece.

Can you trace your life through the different hats you wear?

The idea comes from my dad wearing a hat, and my mom always wore a hat and gloves when she went to church. So, for me, hats symbolized something that I’m not. It was a kind of “elite.” It was different to wear a hat when you’re 20, when no one was wearing hats, so I chose to wear a hat from the ‘40s or ‘50s and it made me feel like one of those women. There was no identity in the ‘70s.

Are there any times in your life where you believe you’ve experienced the spiritual world in some capacity?

There are moments. They tend to be negative; that is to say the bad things that happen tend to leave a mark. And in the grid of time, as you approach a point, it echoes in all directions. You can sometimes hear a bad thing before it happens, at least I can sometimes. It’s harder – it’s different – the sound of glory. Or the sound of destiny. It’s a different kind of rumble and harder to pay attention to than the negatives.

What was it like to be the more famous member of the couple when you were with Tom Waits?

It’s odd, from here, to have to describe that. I met that boy and I fell in love with him. He had made a record or two, and he wasn’t that famous, but he was beloved in his neighborhood. What I’ve noticed that I do in my life is try to deflect [my fame] and give it to people around me. I didn’t feel like I deserved it or wasn’t able to handle it for whatever reason. I recognize now that it was a real mission for me to make sure that every boyfriend that I had got as much out of my career as they could. If I have sinned, this is my sin.