But there is enough lyrical reflection to keep the mega fans happy. The meandering melodies and layered voiceovers can be discombobulating. That said, it is a pleasant listen and her reworking of the title track, which she first recorded on 1968’s Clouds, is a sage reclamation of a classic. There is a smoothness to Mitchell crooning standards that seems slightly at odds with the artist we know and love. Both Sides Now (2000)Ī sumptuous concept album that lacks, perhaps, her supernatural edge. What begins promisingly (opening track Sunny Sunday is a reminder of her 70s work) soon disappoints with rhymes as basic as “And the oil spills / And sex kills.” That said, it won a Grammy for best pop album. Is any Mitchell fan truly comfortable with her 80s output? That is a rhetorical question, of course – please don’t tweet me. There are some things – such as Mitchell’s decision to jazzily segue into the Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody – that will remain for ever baffling. And, like Dog Eat Dog, sounds unremarkable when compared with her other work. Joined by guest artists Billy Idol, Tom Petty, Don Henley and Willie Nelson, this is very much a record of its era. She is virtually unrecognisable here, subsumed by a homogenised 80s sound that leaves you pining for the astral lifelines of her earlier work. Joni Mitchell is a non-conformer – which is why this is such an uncomfortable listen.
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