<<Hejira is the best album whereas Blue appears to win hands down with the best songs>>
While this may sound like a contrast of terms, Willy, I don't see it as such. I think of Hejira as more of a complete work than Blue, even though on the whole the songs BY THEMSELVES may be stronger on Blue. Both are classics and brilliant of course...I've always thought Blue was more disjointed in terms of theme. I mean, you have some optimistic songs (All I Want, My Old Man, Carey), some songs of lost love (A Case of You, River, Blue), and some songs about travel (California, This Flight Tonight), and then she also throws in Little Green & The Last Time I Saw Richard which are very confessional/personal pieces. I don't think the record is overly depressing as do some, nor would I say that it's a happy record. I don't see an interconnecting theme as much as I do with HOSL, Hejira, C&S. That certainly doesn't detract from Blue one bit, and many would call Blue their favorite. But I think just as many (who are familiar with her complete body of work) see Hejira as a superior album as a whole, not because it's a collection of better songs, just because it's an unprecedented sonic landscape encompassing an emotional travelogue, and it deals with such philosophical & universal themes. Bob NP: The Chieftains, "Dublin In Vigo"
