hi all. i haven't written anything about "travelogue" because i'm still
trying to give it a full, fair chance--i really would like to find more things
about it that i like. having listened a number of times, my biggest
obstacle with this project is that i just don't see the thematic or artistic
need these songs have for such over-the-top arrangements. maybe
"sire of sorrow" etc. do have the larger themes that call for bombast,
but so many of these songs i feel are intimate, gemlike stories of life
(rendered exquisitely by joni's lyrics and original music), and to hear them
awash in huge arrangements of dozens of instruments...why? is
what i keep coming back to. i just keep thinking, ick.
what a bummer! there's not much in this album that challenges me
the way the originals do...
possibly the problem is that joni loves this "kind" of music (big,
dramatic, theatrical, etc.) and i just happen to...not. a personal thing?
possibly. still, i would love to ask her why she believes these songs
need (or could benefit from) this kind of treatment--the form and the
content don't seem to jibe, in my opinion.
and the WORST of it all, is that i can hardly stand to listen to one
of my favorites as it is done here..."judgment"--because i find that
the vocal performance is so grating and awful. in particular, i cringe
every time she sings "in a bell jar"--she YELPS it, to my mind.
the "hey hey heeeeyyyyyy"s that come soon after are also so
icky. i don't feel this is a voice deterioration issue as much as it
is a stylistic choice that i find a real clunker.
and i remember swooning when she sang this in the BSN concert!
huh.
i'm sorry to have so much negativity here--there are songs on "travelogue"
that i do like to listen to--"flat tires," "love," and one or two others i can't
remember ("be cool"?) off the top of my head. oh and "otis and marlena."
so i'm not giving up--yet. if joni finds worth in this project, then i'll
work pretty hard to give it a fair shake. the booklet is so lush and
pretty--silver lining? cold comfort at this stage!
-- emily, in chicago
