Joni Mitchell
How can I even begin to describe the beauty & depth of Joni Mitchell as an musician?
Joni Mitchell is a poet. Her lyrics that are at once personal, raw, honest & sharply observed – and yet somehow convey the beauty of life.
Joni’s singing is exceptional. Joni will sail between speaking quietly, to a loud vibrating note to gently, lyrically singing. She’ll skip across words, accenting them, like a stone skipping across a pond. It all seems effortless – I guess because she sings her own experiences, her voice conveys so much emotion. Download music of hers, any of her 19 albums, and float away with her sounds.
Joni plays guitar. A harmonic style – beautiful also.
Joni’s regarded as one of the one influential singer/songwriters ever. Joni’s work is so special it inspired jazz great Herbie Hancock to do a tribute album to her.
My favorite album is Hejira, with fretless bass legend Jaco Pastorius. There’s so much beauty in this album. I’ve played it hundreds of times – it doesn’t get tired or age. I threw out my whole music collection once because I need some space for fresh music – this is the first album I clawed back. It that’s good.
Other’s like Joni’s earlier work, like the album Blue.
Blue is one of my favorites of Joni Mitchell albums. Carey, California, and River are all top contenders on my all-time favorite folk music tracks. But honestly her Hits album is the best compilation of an amazing career with my favs including Woodstock, Urge For Going, Come In From the Cold, and of course Chinese Laundry/Unchained Melody. I have such fond memories of singing to these tracks with my mother, who loved Joni from the hippy days of Woodstock. How you feel about Hejira is how I feel about the compilation album. Never gets old!