DATE: Saturday, November 22, 1997           TAG: 9711210089

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   58 lines

OUTRAGEOUS COUNTRY SINGER WRITES FROM EXPERIENCE

JUST ABOUT all of South Hampton Roads, it seems, is talking about the Jones girl.

More copies of ``Men Are Some of My Favorite People,'' the new CD from Kacey Jones, have been sold in Virginia Beach and Norfolk than anywhere in the country.

Not that it's doing bad elsewhere. After two months on the market, it has sold about 300,000 copies.

The reason for its popularity is clear. Check these examples:

``If they can send one man to the moon, why can't they send 'em all?''

``I miss my man, but my aim's getting better.''

Locals can see what the fuss is about tonight when the nutty newcomer plays The Alamo in Virginia Beach. She'll be joined by two members of her backup band, the Passionate Men, for a country concert accenting laughs.

Sophisticated and sexy - never brash or vulgar - Jones is funny and a good singer. She's bright, too. She wrote most of the songs on the album, owns three publishing companies, produces and writes for other singers and is working on a Kinky Friedman tribute album.

In 1988, Jones and her group at the time, Ethel and the Shameless Hussies, opened for Friedman and his Texas Jewboys at a show in Alexandria.

``The album is my favorite project,'' she said from Nashville. ``So far, I have Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Delbert McClinton, Lee Roy Parnell, the Geezinslaw Brothers, Asleep At the Wheel and Guy Clark.

``On deck are Marty Stuart and Lyle Lovett. I'd love to do a duet with Lyle. We're on the same label, so I'm hoping it might happen.''

What does happen in her life often finds its way into her material.

``Remember `She Got the Gold Mine, I Got the Shaft'?'' Jones asked. ``I reversed that. Everything was in my name when I got divorced. I lost everything.''

But there was a bright side.

``I was married two years - got 40 songs out of it.''

Jones does not believe in offending her audiences. Instead, she goes for the double entendre, as once exemplified by her idol, Mae West.

``I liked her attitude - very ballsy,'' Jone said. ``She wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world, but carried herself that way. Her joy in life was to tantalize men. It don't hurt to flirt.''

Another influence was Loretta Lynn, ``who wrote some very bold female statement songs. She made them acceptable because she did them so well.''

Jones hasn't done so well in her own relationships. But she isn't daunted - not by a long stretch.

``Show me a handsome, psychotic, neurotic sociopath, and baby, I'm there,'' she said. ``But I'll keep dating Mr. Wrong till Mr. Right comes along. Somewhere, I think I have a soulmate. I'm having a great time looking.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Kacey Jones

Graphic

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