Shine

I love how Joni Mitchell sings about social justice including the environment. I've always loved her because she's a rebel and her lyrics go way beyond the usual ones of love songs. And this CD only reinforces why I love her. She just keeps getting better.

I was overjoyed to hear that Joni would be back with new material. And I was not disappointed by this album in the slightest. It's among some of her strongest work, right up there with Night Ride Home, Turbulent Indigo and Taming the Tiger. In fact, the album sounds like a peculiar hybrid of those albums - but very effective.

In some ways it sounds like a sketch, or an unfinished work, since the instrumentation was largely done on one big synthesizer, but I think that is what makes it so endearing - at least to my ears.

The album is driven by keyboards, mostly: beautiful piano chords and dark synthesizer arrangements form the backdrop to some very poignant and often cutting lyrics about the state of our globe, our society and our dreams and fears. Joni produced the album and sings beautifully. I had been concerned about the state of her voice but it's quite strong on these songs, giving the atmosphere an even deeper resonance.

Each song is wonderful, but hightlights on the album include "This Place," "Hana" (a drum and base gem that just gets better and better!), "If I Had a Heart" and "Night of the Iguana." A reworked and almost Brazillian version of "Big Yellow Taxi" provides a light interlude to some of the albums heavier songs, like "Bad Dreams Are Good" and "Shine."

Joni won a Grammy for the first track on the album, an instrumental number called "One Week Last Summer." She was also nominated for a number of Juno Awards for production work.

Get this album!

Love it. Can't say enough about the incredible Ms. Mitchell. A true Canadian treasure. Her "Court and Spark" remains on of my favs, as does "Hissing of Summer Lawns" and the list goes on and one. Genius. Pure Genius.

I am a fan of Joni and I have bought most of her albums over the years. I was excited to see a new CD from Joni after so many years. Although lyrics and music are fine on Shine, I was really disappointed by the really cheesy use of cheap synthesizer instruments. The fake saxophone and robotics rhythms are particularly painful to listen to. I hope Joni will re-edit this one with a real band; it will sound much more alive.

Following Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell is the second musical heavyweight to be courted successfully by Starbucks' Hear Music label and, again, it feels like an odd alliance, especially given the avowedly noncorporate hankering for the simple life which is threaded lyrically through this album. As well as airing her distaste for the trappings of modern living on "Bad Dreams", Mitchell offers dignified anti-war comments, describing history as "a mass murder mystery" on "Strong and Wrong", and warnings of ecological woe on "This Place". A new version of her classic "Big Yellow Tax"i chimes in with these concerns.
"Shine" presents beautiful melodies, dark lyrics and a sparseness that recalls and even progresses beyond some the artist's most seminal recordings.
Much of the lyrical content reflects Mitchell's social and theological consciousness and her longtime plea for the health of the planet.
Joni's voice, both in the physical and lyrical sense, is as powerful as ever.
Born out of a burst of creative energy, "Shine" is one of three new artistic endeavors launched by Mitchell this year. The first, The Fiddle and the Drum, a ballet based on Mitchell's music, debuted with the Alberta Ballet in Calgary earlier this year with Mitchell serving as co-creator and artistic director.
The second is a politically charged visual art exhibit by Mitchell that will debut in New York in the fall.
Two songs included on "Shine, "If" (based Mitchell's favorite poem by Rudyard Kipling) and "If I Had a Heart", were featured "The Fiddle and The Drum" when it premiered on February 8, 2007.
It was then that The New York Times described Mitchell's "If I Had a Heart" as one of most haunting melodies she has ever written.
The album also contains a joyous reinterpretation of her classic hit song, "Big Yellow Taxi" which was also featured in the ballet.
"Shine is a solemn album, though not morose - even the title track's lengthy prayer for healing manages to summon up a flash of humour.
My favourte tracks are " Shine", "If I Had A Heart" and "Night Of The Iguana".
Credits:
Brian Blade on Drums, Paulinho Da Costa on Percussion, Larry Klein on bass, Greg Leisz on Pedal Steel, Bob Sheppard on Sax (Alto and Soprano), James D. Taylor on Guitar.