Oh my LORD, RLJ ruled so hard on Friday! She strolled out onstage with her long blond hair and a big flowy scarf/shawl/poncho thing, strewing f-bombs everywhere, teasing her backing band ("Push it, or they're gonna fall asleep") and telling stories about her mom and her kid and then sometimes saying "I wish I had a funny story to tell right now. But I don't." Her voice was unbelievable. Sometimes she's growl so low, I'd swear it was one of the dudes onstage; other times she'd make a noise and I'd think it was the cello, until I saw her mouth open and the cellist's bow at his side.

She sang old songs and new ones, covers, standards; she sang "Chuck E.'s in Love" even though I'd assumed she wouldn't. She swayed, she held her arms up like a crucified person, she rumpled her hair, she took off her clothes layer by layer. Most brilliant, she casually and comfortably and humorously sailed through what must've been a two-hour set, and her voice never faltered. That voice! It's so strange, it's from another planet. She wore no beret. Everyone in the room must've been in love with her; it couldn't be that you sat in that room and let that sound swoosh around you and were not transfixed and transformed.

My idolatry is settled, now. I immediately had to go look up everything she ever did and force anyone who hung out with me all weekend to listen to my all-day, all-Rickie-Lee-Jones rock block. You should try it! A few favorites after the jump.

From her newest cover album, The Devil You Know:

A performance from 1992 (song from her first album):

She sang this one on Friday, I think she closed with it. WATCH!:

So I wanna post four songs, so sue me. From her second album, Pirates: