Although I've heard a lot about Joni Mitchell, I haven't actually heard much of her music, so Ladies of the Canyon is really my introduction to her work. Generally, I'm impressed, and since this one is generally considered to be a step below the albums that came right after it, I am intrigued enough to hear more. This album is largely just Mitchell and an acoustic guitar, but she makes sure to stay well away from the boredom that legions of less-talented singer/songwriters would surely have induced. Instead, with her ear for odd harmonies and chord progressions and love for quirkiness and dissonance, this music is really anything but boring. If anything, my biggest gripe (and my girlfriend's, who hated this record) is that at times, her high-pitched delivery and wacko song structures are just too weird to fully comprehend. So don't do Mitchell the disservice of dismissing her as some sort of boring 70s singer that old people like and please don't judge "Big Yellow Taxi" by the Counting Crows/Vanessa Carlton cover.
No comments:
Post a Comment