Wonderful point, Kate. I do think Joni's voice has changed drastically and a lot of it is probably to do with the simple process of ageing. The most marked difference came between Wild Things Run Fast and Dog Eat Dog, I think. After that it remained more or less consistent until Taming The Tiger, when I noticed a further lowering - "The general offered no apologies..." It rebounded quite a bit for Both Sides Now and on Travelogue it's back down to the base, and much dryer in sound, a thinner voice than on Both Sides Now.
I am thinking of some of the other older women in music, like Tina Turner and Cher, and have to conclude that their voices have not changed as radically as Joni's has, which leads me to believe that it is the smoking that has affected it so noticeably. I have quite a bit of respect for Joni as an ageing woman in the entertainment business, but I think that's rare in our culture. She is the only woman her age who acts her age, really. She artistically writes about and sings about the themes and emotions that affect people of her generation, something other women have abandoned in favour of facelifts and tight leather outfits. (I'm refering to Cher's plastic visage and Tina Turner's dominatrix outfit from her previous tour.) I think Tina Turner is an incredible performer, but I think so many women love her precisely because she doesn't act her age. "Can you believe she's 63?" they all say. Yes, it's hard to believe that a 63 year-old woman can look so youthful, dance and kick in high-heels and rock the night away with the best of them, but it's not normal. She is a rarity. Our youth-obsessed culture, however, sees her as a beakon to women everywhere, like some final vestige of hope that 'you too can beat ageing!' Wrikles? Tina Turner doesn't have wrinkes! Lack of energy? Tina Turner runs 5 miles a day! It's unrealistic for the majority of women and yet I heard Oprah Winfrey say the other day that Tina Turner is her inspiration for how to age gracefully. What about Joni? Is she not ageing gracefully because she is content being a 59 year-old woman who LOOKS like a 59 year-old woman? I think Joni is ageing much more gracefully than Tina Turner, but tell that to a world obsessed with night creams a! nd tummy-tucks. A few years ago Natalie Merchant was on The View and she pointed out that Joni Mitchell was the only female singer/songwriter she could think of who actually wrote songs about ageing and has invented a role for herself as an older female musician in a youth-obsessed culture. Right on, Natalie! I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about Joni's later body of work and he said that it reminded him of listening to a grandmother singing songs. And that's exactly what it is! I thought it was a beautiful observation. And there is a comfort in Joni's new voice, something familar and calm. It's dripping with wisdom and experience, which is so rare to hear these days. With Joni Mitchell, one is consistently witnessing history in the making. And the same holds true with Travelogue. She is breaking ground and the masses just don't see it yet. -Andrew Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now
