In some respects, this might not be surprising, since Jones has never taken the obvious route. Yet, while she has never stopped attracting the notice of music critics who lauded her as the next Joni Mitchell (a comparison that’s never fully made sense, since the two really don’t have much in common stylistically, and Jones’ music, if it can really be compared to anyone, really owes far more to, say, Laura Nyro than it does to Joni), Jones would never again land another Top 40 single and her music remains little-known amongst younger music fans with a deep appreciation for pop music of decades past.

While its two hit singles (the Top Ten smash “Chuck E.’s in Love” and the Top 40 follow-up “Young Blood”) aren’t heard on the radio these days nearly as often as they used to be, Jones’ 1979 self-titled debut was one of the most critically acclaimed debut albums of the late ‘70s, and her promotional appearance for the album on SNL (her first of three visits to the show) remains one of the more iconic musical moments from the show’s first decade. Rickie Lee Jones hasn’t always floated under the radar. Albums from the Lost & Found is a regular feature on in which contributor Jeff Fiedler reviews and helps us rediscover great pop albums that seem to have been lost to time.

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