you know i really think so many of these reviewers i have read lately are just not getting it...
i am not one of those 'joni can do no wrong' fans, nor do i listen to a lot of classical music or jazz for that matter...my musical tastes these days tend towards simple arrangements of great songs from singer songwriters...so i wouldn't expect me to like this record as much as i do... i have not yet listened to the whole thing & so far have only listened once but it took no warming up to for me...i really love it! it seems to me these are the same reviewers who, as usual, are looking backwards for joni to do what she used to do instead of being open to the fact that she might just be, once again, breaking new ground....they want joni to be singing, arranging, playing, etc songs the way she used to...when she left folk for jazz many resisted & now that she has left that kind of jazz for more more orchestral arrangements, they still resist... some things have not changed since when dylan picked up the electric guitar....its so strange to hear people complaining about her voice as if they still want her to be 25 years old...i love the texture & sound of her voice- it is that of a mature woman & has so much warmth & wise beauty to it...i don't even hear limitations...so what if she doesn't have several octaves to work with...since when did that have anything to do with conveying real emotion (reference whitney & all for that) joni has always considered herself to be a composer...reading her reviews throughout the years, she has often described her work in compositional & painterly terms....it is so natural she would do this... i really think, once again, she is creating a whole new medium with this release- her voice, the compostion, the paintings... btw, i never did purchase both sides now because i'm not all that interested in hearing her do other people's works...i'm in it for her songwriting & composition i can't believe some of the adjectives that some are using to describe the music & her voice on this record...did they listen to the same one i did? some of these reviewers seem to have had their musical tastes severely hampered by listening to too much below average dreck.... ******************************************** Kate Bennett: www.katebennett.com Sponsored by Polysonics/Atlantis Sound Labs Over the Moon- "bringing the melancholy world of twilight to life almost like magic" All Music Guide ********************************************
