Re: Joni Mitchell
I listened to it for the first time on Saturday. I liked it. I'll certainly listen to it again. it makes a gradual impression. starting out with an instrumental puts you in a certain frame of mind and the lyrics are certainly interesting (as always)
breaking no new ground but I think I liked it better on first spin than I have any of hers since maybe 'Turbulent Indigo'. the real stand out thing is her voice. Like on 'Travelogue', her voice has deepend and I see this as an entirely good thing. she still has her range but she can get her voice to do some things it hasn't really done before. throaty things. I really like the direction.
the production aspect of it bugs me a bit. she uses some pretty dated technology, maybe this will grow on me as an interesting choice but I sort of doubt it. it sounds a little cheesy in places. still, the songs are strong and her voice is strong and the whole 'new agey' vibe maybe needs a little cheese for flavor.
I think JM is a dynamite artist and this is certainly a strong effort. it doesn't grab you by the lapels, the music floats in the room like cigarette smoke. not long ago she said she wasn't going to make records anymore. I'm glad she changed her mind. the record leaves the taste that she's not sure how SHE feels about it.
