"From Up And Down, And Inside, Out" (Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell)

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
Date:	05/02/05 (489 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More mature voice than before

Disadvantages: Not all the songs will appeal

Since someone once mentioned that their least favourite song from the movie soundtrack of Love, Actually was "Both Sides Now" sung by Joni Mitchell, I thought I'd best write a review of one of her albums. See, its hard for me to hear anyone dismissing such a wonderful artist so quickly. And what better and more appropriate album to review, then the one where this song is the name of the album?

I must mention at the outset that this album isn't the one where the title song originally comes from. I believe that this honour goes to her 1969 album, Clouds. But one thing that makes this album different from most, if not all Joni's albums, is that there are only two tracks here that were written by Joni herself. Those being Both Sides Now and Case of You. But that's not the only thing creative here. What we have here is not just a compilation of a bunch of old songs that Joni wanted to record - although one could believe that at first listen. No, what we have here is a very careful selection of songs, placed in a very particular order on this album so as to actually tell a whole story. And, in this case, it's a love story.

I think that this is best described by Larry Klein on the album notes when he says "The album would be a programmatic suite documenting a relationship from initial flirtation through optimistic consummation, metamorphosing into disillusionment, ironic despair and finally resolving in the philosophical overview of acceptance and the probability of the cycle repeating itself". This is an interesting concept, and as you will see, one that has been fully realized, and successfully so.

A quick look at the track list will already give you an idea of what this album contains:

1. You're My Thrill - 1933 - words: Sidney Clare, music: Jay Gorney
2. At Last - 1942 - Mack Gordon/Harry Warren
3. Comes Love - 1939 - Lew Brown/Sammy Stept/Charles Tobias
4. You've Changed - 1968 - Bill Carey/Carl Fischer
5. Answer Me, My Love - 1953 - Gerhard Winkler/Fred Rauch; English Lyric: Carl Sigman
6. A Case of You - 1972 - Joni Mitchell
7. Don't Go To Strangers - 1954 - Redd Evans/Arthur Kent/David Mann
8. Sometimes I'm Happy - 1925 - Irving Caesar/Clifford Grey/Vincent Youmans
9. Don't Worry 'Bout Me - 1939 - Rube Bloom/Ken Koehler
10. Stormy Weather - 1933 - Ted Koehler/Harold Arlen
11. I Wish I Were in Love Again - 1937 - Lorenz Hart/Richard Rogers
12. Both Sides Now - 1967 - Joni Mitchell

Just looking at the titles you can already see how this album has been built in a very special order. The first three are about the budding of a romance, then the songs start to speak of the problems and difficulties, ending with songs which express both sadness at the end of the relationship as well as hope for the future. This does mean, however, that this isn't a CD to be listened to when your player is in 'shuffle' mode. No, you really should listen to this starting from track one and ending with track 12 - there's no doubt that this is the way Joni and her producers meant it to be listened to.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the songs can't stand on their own, separate from this format. To the contrary, I'm sure that many of you will recognize at least two or three of the songs here. I'm speaking of course of the three classic love songs - At Last (My Love Has Come Along), Stormy Weather and I Wish I Were In Love Again. After these and Joni's two songs, the rest of the tracks are probably less familiar to you, as they were to me - despite my mother having such a large collection of oldies when I was growing up. My mother taught me to listen for a lyric that had cleverness (such as those written by Cole Porter, for example), and music that pulled the listener into the song. All of these songs fit this bill admirably. Mind you, under today's standards, there are a few cliches in some of the lyrics of these older songs - skies of blue, stars up above, clouds - but that's about it. Going over these songs, it was surprising to me exactly how few cliches I could find in the lyrics. Certainly that should point to the quality of these songs. And of course, since these are earlier works, you won't be finding any swear words or X-rate innuendo, but rather hints to the more romantic love that seems to have gone out of fashion in today's music.

But good songs do not always a good album make. What makes or breaks an album is what you hear when you listen. That means vocals and background music. To begin with, Joni Mitchell has a very versatile voice with an extremely large range. She can hit the high notes with as much true ease as she hits the low notes - something that I can only compare to Barbara Streisand. But while Barbara has a very clear, if slightly nasal voice, Joni's has a bit of a heavier, more chesty quality to it, which this collection of songs brings forth with an amazing freshness, that does not lack maturity in the least. In fact, I'd say that this is probably Joni's most mature sounding album to date, and that her voice here has a particularly blues-like quality that gives much more depth to the higher notes than she had in the early days of her career. In a word, I'd have to say that what comes to mind when I listen to her voice on this album, is "rich". I could add "smooth" and also "dusky" to the mix and perhaps you'd get a better picture (think dark, 70% chocolate, perhaps?). But moreover, I feel that she's singing here with all the emotions that her voice can express, which makes listening here a real experience that sounds like it comes straight from the heart.

This isn't to say that the album is gloomy or dark. While there is a sadness to many of the songs, there's also a good mixture of light qualities in this album as well. For instance, there's the hopefulness in her own song "Both Sides Now" as well as the lighthearted musical number "I Wish I Were In Love Again", which is almost tongue-in-cheek, along with pure joy in the opening track of "You're My Thrill". And while this is a true solo album, with no backup singers to enhance or hide Joni's natural talent, there is also no lack of orchestration here. The list of musicians on this album is very impressive (including Herbie Hancock on piano for one song), and yet, these have been mixed in such a way as to keep Joni's voice in the forefront at all times, and without distracting the listener. This doesn't mean that the orchestra is superfluous, since they carefully set the tone and enhance the mood for each song in perfect balance to the vocals. What more could you ask?

I really should mention the album cover and inlay here, since it is a bit on the special side. The booklet has the usual list of songs and lyrics and all the introduction and credits that are required. But what's really nice is that all the artwork is original Joni Mitchell. Yes, both the album cover as well as the booklet are paintings done by Joni herself. Starting with the front cover of the album (which is also the front cover of the booklet - see picture below) where we find a self-portrait of Joni, at a bar with a glass of red wine, a lit cigarette in one hand and a pen, carefully placed on the counter top. Joni looks pretty serious in this picture, but it is without a doubt a show of artistic talent. There are more joyful paintings inside the booklet, including one of a vase of yellow roses that is reminiscent of Van Gogh's vase of sunflowers. I particularly liked the last picture inside the booklet, which is also on the back cover of the album. This is another self-portrait, where Joni is in the same position as she appears on the front cover, but this time we see the back of her head, looking away from the painter. Finally, the CD disk itself has a close-up from the front cover of Joni's mouth and neck and the glass of wine. Very clever, if you ask me, and certainly an added bonus to just look at this artwork.

Bottom line - I must admit that it may very well be my mother's love for these kinds of songs which drew me to this album. Although, certainly my love for Joni Mitchell had no small part in my deciding to buy the CD. What I didn't expect was the complex thought that went into designing the content of this album, and the unique quality of Joni's more mature voice which these songs showcase. I can't say that this is an album for everyone. There are no heavy bass lines or electronic beats to make you want to get up and dance to. But if you're in the mood for a musical line that flows over you like a warm breeze in spring, and a voice that feels like honey, and lyrics that are evocative rather than obvious (and without swear words), then perhaps you'll enjoy this album as much as I do. Highly recommended with a full five stars!

Thanks for reading.

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There is an official site for Joni Mitchell which you can find at (amazingly enough) http://www.jonimitchell.com/
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Summary: Joni Mitchell proves she can also cover songs as well as sing and write them