Okay, I know I said I’m a rocker, but Joni is one of my all-time favorites. I was pleased to hear there’s a tribute album with some very talented contributors.
http://atributetojonimitchell.com/
Anyone hear it? What’s the verdict?
Hmm, I always seem to prefer other artists singing Joni Mitchell’s songs, so I need to check this out.
Haven’t heard it but it sounds interesting, especially since for years the only song Prince ever did live that was not his own was “Case of You”, which is a great song, but I hate the way Joni sings it.
And I personally think she rocks, espcially on Court & Spark, one of the all time great albums.
I love Court & Spark, too. But my favorite is Blue (the album). I love Joni’s version of Case of You.
Someone at work has it loaded into iTunes, and I have listened to it once. The Prince track is admittedly great, as is Caetano Veloso, but the rest of it leaves me pretty lukewarm as (a) it’s mostly stuff I don’t know that well (a lot of tunes from Hissing of Summer Lawns and Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, it seems like) and (b) it’s far too ballady for me – almost everybody takes the deep, reverential 70s murk approach, but for Caetano and Sufjan Stevens, who turns “A Free Man in Paris” into something not unlike an early Genesis song. Joni’s sense of rhythm is pretty great, and I don’t find that her records limp along like this one does, even the folky ones. I guess my need to hear, say, James Taylor and Sarah McLachlan sing poky versions of great songs is pretty limited.
I’m with you, though I prefer her electric period, and would’ve loved to hear her do an electric version of Case of You back then.
If you’re a fan of “Case of You”, you should check out Cristana Branco’s version. She’s a Portuguese singer, and does a beautiful version of it. It’s available through iTunes, not sure where else.
Edit: Well, heck, NPR has a clip from it on their website. Check it out.
That was very nice. Thanks.
There’s also an album of Joni covers called Back to the Garden.