The American writer, photographer and activist Lee Cantelon moved into a studio in 2005 to record a spoken word version of his book The Words with the help of artist friends. In it he translated the life and works of Jesus Christ into modern times. Singer / songwriter Rickie Lee Jones would also drop by for an afternoon to have a chat. On the spot, however, she decided to prefer to sing and Cantelon
… mentions in the CD booklet how she managed to move the present company to tears with an improvised text. This recording also opens The Sermon…, the project that became a Rickie Lee Jones record after that magical moment. The theme is therefore in good hands with her. She expressively portrays the religious characters, both as a broken woman (I Was There) or as a furious hissing serpent (Tried To Be A Man). The loosely played music, sometimes almost leaning against soundscapes, forms the ideal backdrop for this. A special chapter in Jones's already striking oeuvre. The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard also released a limited and numbered digipack with an extra DVD containing video recordings of the album's realization a 5.1. Surround mix and high quality MP3s. (MR)more