The Devil You Know

Rickie Lee Jones is no stranger to covering other people\'s songs. *Girl at Her Volcano*, *Pop Pop*, and *It\'s Like This* found the singer/songwriter backing off the writing desk and letting her expert phrasing and interpretive abilities run the table. *The Devil You Know* features Jones bending a number of classic rock songs to her will. Ben Harper produced the sessions, and Jones returns the favor by covering his \"Masterpiece,\" alongside The Rolling Stones\' \"Sympathy for the Devil\" and \"Play with Fire,\" Neil Young\'s \"Only Love Can Break Your Heart,\" and The Band\'s \"The Weight.\" These are slow, measured takes with an autumnal pull. The classic blues \"St. James Infirmary\" sounds like it\'s leaked from a nightclub, with upright bass and a tinkling piano providing the background and Jones letting loose with no interest in polishing the results. Songs were chosen with obvious care. Van Morrison\'s \"Comfort You,\" Tim Hardin\'s \"Reason to Believe,\" and Donovan\'s \"Catch the Wind\" weep more than the younger Jones could have understood.

Rickie Lee Jones' The Devil You Know is a collection of classic rock cover songs that follows the intimate -- and excellent -- Balm in Gilead.

To Rickie Lee Jones' most devoted fans – and I am clearly among them – she has been on a real roll lately.

Helen Brown and Mark Hudson review the rest of the week's music releases, including Van Morrison and No Doubt.