Tag: listening to joni

Shine, 2007 Shine is Joni’s most recent, and likely final, studio album. She came out of retirement in 2007 to release the album, nine years after her previous Taming the Tiger. Shine, which was also re-issued on vinyl in 2020, is a themed collection: the lyrics focus on environmental destruction and endless

Taming the Tiger, 1998 Taming the Tiger is markedly different than Joni’s previous album, Turbulent Indigo. Where Turbulent Indigo is dark, intense, and enigmatic, and the lyrics largely topical, this one has a light, lyrical feel, the music shimmering and weightless, the lyrics more personal. Many critics regard it as

Turbulent Indigo, 1994 Front Cover Turbulent Indigo is a rich album, one that demands repeated listening. Every time I hear it, I discover new sounds and meanings, and I find that it has slyly become one of my most beloved of Joni’s work. The name of the album is itself

Night Ride Home, 1991 Although I mostly enjoyed Joni’s previous album, Chalk Mark In a Rainstorm, I still harboured a nagging doubt and vague dislike. Both Chalk Mark (1988) and Dog Eat Dog (1985) didn’t feel like Joni to me. I don’t mean that they didn’t repeat some formula or sound. I

Chalk Mark In a Rainstorm, 1988 After writing my first negative review in this series, I was half-dreading listening to the album. Happily, I ended up pleased and relieved. Chalk Mark In a Rainstorm is a solid album with some lovely and memorable songs. There are choices that don’t work

Dog Eat Dog, 1985 Front Cover We’ve reached a milestone: a Joni Mitchell album I don’t like. No, that’s a cop out. It’s not merely that I don’t like Dog Eat Dog. It’s that Dog Eat Dog is not good. It’s a really bad album. All musicians, all artists, create clunkers sometimes

Dog Eat Dog, 1985 Front Cover We’ve reached a milestone: a Joni Mitchell album I don’t like. No, that’s a cop out. It’s not merely that I don’t like Dog Eat Dog. It’s that Dog Eat Dog is not good. It’s a really bad album. All musicians, all artists, create

Dog Eat Dog, 1985 Front Cover We’ve reached a milestone: a Joni Mitchell album I don’t like. No, that’s a cop out. It’s not merely that I don’t like Dog Eat Dog. It’s that Dog Eat Dog is not good. It’s a really bad album. All musicians, all artists, create

Wild Things Run Fast, 1982 Front Cover Wild Things Run Fast feels like the beginning of a new Joni era. Mingus ended a trajectory. After Mingus, Joni toured, and took a break from recording. From now on she would release an album every three or four years, rather than annually as she

Mingus, 1979 Mingus is unique in Joni’s work, in that she wrote lyrics to someone else’s instrumental music. Four of the six tracks on Mingus were written collaboratively by Joni and Charles Mingus. Charles Mingus was a jazz composer and band leader. He was enormously influential, and anyone following contemporary

Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, 1977 I discovered I didn’t own Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter either on LP or CD — which means I don’t know the music from it, except for anything performed live or on compilations. This means I have only my current opinions and impressions, and no earlier thoughts

Hejira, 1976 Front CoverPhoto by Norman Seeff; Frozen lake by Wisconsin. Hejira snuck up on me. I heard it was “wordy,” “cold,” and “cerebral” and that the music was “abstract”. I didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t seem good. On the radio station I listened to as a

The Hissing of Summer Lawns, 1975 Front and back covers:The landscapes of the songs Joni’s seventh studio album (her ninth album overall) is both a continuation and a departure. The The Hissing of Summer Lawns is very rich and multi-layered, somewhat enigmatic, full of interesting images and sounds that are

Court and Spark, 1974 Writing about the music of Joni Mitchell has been a huge challenge. My love of music and my writing abilities seem to live in separate spheres: I write with my brain, but I listen with my heart. If writing about Joni’s music has been challenging, writing

For The Roses, 1972 Front Cover For The Roses is often overlooked, sandwiched as it is between two masterpieces. Fans who missed it might be surprised at its richness — musically, lyrically, and emotionally. It has always been one of my favourites. For the Roses sits between Blue and Court and Spark not

Blue, 1971 Front CoverThe back cover is solid blue. Inside, only lyrics and credits. Ask people their favourite Joni album, and you are very likely to hear Blue. In my experience, this is especially true of older fans who discovered the album in real time. Blue is a masterpiece; there

Ladies of the Canyon, 1970 Original Front Cover I put this album on for the first time in probably three decades, and I thought, ah, here’s Joni. Ladies of the Canyon, Joni’s third album, is the first time we hear the seeds of the future Joni, the first glimpses of