|
I had heard that this album was Joni Mitchell playing all the instruments and singing. Hey Joni, your nice house destroyed habitat where nice animals and plants once lived, why don't you do a song about that. But, it's not interesting, and she's not good any more. Most of the lyrics sound like they were written by a wealthy woman with way too much time to spend winding herself up watching Fox and CNN news.
When she lets those songs out, I'll buy then.Even the opening track, a piano instrumental that I looked forward to hearing, was just kind of meandering. I was glad I could check this out of my local library, and save my self the cost of purchasing it, since I wouldn't have kept it, or ever listened to it again.Joni Mitchell would be well advised to release tapes of some of her early performances. There was a time when she wrote memorable songs and sang them in her unique penetrating voice. And that was the high point of the album.Anyway, a big disappointment, and don't spend your hard earned dollars here. those days are long gone. which I figured would be at least interesting--- after all, she used to be good.
there are good quality recordings of quite a few of her very good early songs (Urge For Going, Eastern Rain, etc.). if you want to listen to a late 60s-early 70s singer song writer who still has it together and is better than ever, go check out Randy Newman's CD Harps and Angels. Her song-writing skills have atrophied, and her voice is a husky shadow of what it once was. Irritating phony liberal whining of someone who can afford a nice house out on the California coast where she can fuss about the environment.
Compared to the rest of Joni Mitchell's recordings,this project is small-minded, out of touch, very hard to listen to, unmusical.
It is beautiful. With humor, honesty, love for we flawed humans, passion for the earth and her creatures, she taps into heretofore unknown rhythms which give such pleasure to know. Joni Mitchell has made me fall in love with her again. Like all work of genius, this deepens and shines with each listening.
Sadly, after many, many listenings, I have to say that this is the worst album Joni has ever produced.With its jaundiced view on the world, and rehashing that same sax sound heard on so many previous albums, this is truly disappointing. I cannot say that of her newest work.The only really enjoyable song is Hana, which also happens to be a retelling of a classic movie. As an avid Joni Mitchell fan, I had been waiting with baited breath for this album to come out. In the past, even when she wrote about negative issues, there was a ray of hope, both lyrically and musically that came through. The other song about a movie(or play) is Night of the Iguana, which does not match the tone of the film, and just feels like a plot synopsis. In fact, the day before its release, I was up until midnight so I could buy this cd at the first moment I possibly could. So when I listened to this cd on the way to work, I was hoping it was sleep deprivation that prevented me from enjoying this album.
But all of these ceased over thirty years ago. I don't know which is sadder--Ms. The one star rating was involuntary on my part; no stars is, unfortunately in this case, not an option. Everything positive in this woman's career is in the past. Mitchell's refusal to see reality and retire, or her diehard fans refusal to see her and her music for what they are: irrelevant and pathetically out of date. No one likes a jaunt down Memory Lane more than I, but when the memories become your reality it's time to call a halt to the proceedings. Joni Mitchell WAS a major influence upon the music scene, and Joni Mitchell WAS relevant, and Joni Mitchell WAS an attractive woman.
|
