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Tribute records live or die by the performers' ability to interpret the subject's work in new and inventive frameworks, or by how well they evoke the spirit of the original recordings. Joni Mitchell's poetic folk and jazz offers infinite possibilities for the former, which makes the notion of this collection by indie rockers, pop divas, and country and folk practitioners most appealing. Not surprisingly, for most of the men it turns out to be more of an intellectual exercise than an emotional foray (Elvis Costello's harder take on 'Edith and the Kingpin,' Sufjan Stevens's jumbled sonic landscape on 'Free Man in Paris'). But there are some breathtaking performances from the women, starting with Björk's wide-eyed cover of 'The Bojo Dance' and moving on to Cassandra Wilson's mahogany-voiced 'For the Roses,' Emmylou Harris's devastating reading of 'The Magdalene Laundries,' and Sarah McLachlan's goosebump-raising 'Blue,' where her vocals approximate Mitchell's so thoroughly some folks might be fooled. Hands down, the most peculiar track is Prince's doo-woppy 'A Case of You,' which nearly defies description. The project got started in the late '90s and was finished only recently, which probably accounts for a stilted unevenness and seeming lack of continuity. Think of this as an interesting companion to Mitchell's vast and vital body of work. But the revered Lady of the Canyon doubtless deserves a far more comprehensive and well-executed homage. --Alanna Nash









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Produits similaires:
     la suite

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• The Reminder
• River - The Joni Letters
• Shine
• Release The Stars
• Back To Black
• la suite

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Disc 1:

1. FREE MAN IN PARIS - Sufjan Stevens
2. THE BOHO DANCE - Bjork
3. DREAMLAND - Caetano Veloso
4. DON'T INTERRUPT THE SORROW - Brad Mehldau
5. FOR THE ROSES - Cassandra Wilson
6. A CASE OF YOU - Prince
7. BLUE - Sarah McLachlan
8. LADIES OF THE CANYON - Annie Lennox
9. MAGDALENA LAUNDRIES - Emmylou Harris
10. EDITH AND THE KINGPIN - Elvis Costello
11. HELP ME - k.d. lang
12. RIVER - James Taylor

Note: - Don't compare, just listen.
The project was started in the late Nineties but was never completed.
In 2004, the executive producer and Nonesuch Records President Bob Hurwitz came across the unfinished album and resuscitated the project.
Twelve very different performers cover some of her best-known numbers, in a dazzling variety of styles: Björk beguiles in her slow, breathy ickle-girl version of "The Boho Dance", Prince wails seductively through "A Case of You", Caetano Veloso gives "Dreamland" a Brazilian swing, Elvis Costello chews at the tragedy of "Edith and the Kingpin", kd lang epitomises the elegant and witty chanteuse in "Help Me".
Such a range of big names - Emmylou Harris, Brad Mehldau and Annie Lennox are among the other contributors - suggests the extraordinary breadth and depth of influence that Joni's work has exerted since the release of Ladies of the Canyon in 1970.
Somehow, their efforts fail to cohere.
It's partly the choice of songs: an avoidance of the obvious early hits and a desire to emulate the sophisticated eclecticism of Mitchell's later recordings, which often simply dissipates the subtle sophistication of the original melodies.
The best moments bring the individual artists' trademarks to the songs: Caetano Veloso's "Dreamland" has a festival tristesse; Sarah McLachlan's layered, acoustic "Blue sucks the air from a room", James Taylor's homesick "River" aches with his neighbourly sincerity, Emmylou Harris's "The Magdalene Sisters" blows her own desert dust into Mitchell's laundry lyrics, while "Don't Interrupt the Sorrow" finds jazz pianist Brad Mehldau in Keith Jarrett mode, cycling ostinatos forming a bed for more inquisitive explorations.
Cassandra Wilson's "For the Roses" - one of the few covers for which Mitchell herself has expressed admiration - is sung in a rich and sultry dusk that blows the fading petals of those lovely lines into a warm wind of bass and harmonica: gorgeous, classy and true.
If you like Joni's music and you want to make comparisos, you will be disappointed.
Please, do not compare !
Listen to this record just as a new album paying homage to one of the greatest singer-songwriters of our time.