| Product Summary | | Label: Nonesuch Records | | UPC: 00075597998955 | | Release Date: 4/24/2007 | | Buy.com Sku: 204297869 | | Item#: M3KCC2 | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25050 | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
Disc 1
| | Song Title | Sample | | 1. Free Man In Paris - Sufjan Stevens ~ Various Artists |  | | 2. Boho Dance, The - Bjork ~ Various Artists | | | 3. Dreamland - Caetano Veloso ~ Various Artists | | | 4. Don't Interrupt The Sorrow - Brad Mehldau ~ Various Artists | | | 5. For The Roses - Cassandra Wilson ~ Various Artists | | | 6. Case Of You, A - Prince ~ Various Artists | | | 7. Blue - Sarah McLachlan ~ Various Artists | | | 8. Ladies Of The Canyon - Annie Lennox ~ Various Artists | | | 9. Magdalene Laundries, The - Emmylou Harris ~ Various Artists | | | 10. Edith And The Kingpin - Elvis Costello ~ Various Artists | | | 11. Help Me - K.D. Lang ~ Various Artists | | | 12. River - James Taylor ~ Various Artists | |
| Track Listing
1. Free Man In Paris - Sufjan Stevens
2. Boho Dance - Bjork
3. Dreamland - Caetano Veloso
4. Don't Interrupt The Sorrow - Brad Mehldau
5. For The Roses - Cassandra Wilson
6. Case Of You, A - Prince
7. Blue - Sarah McLachlan
8. Ladies Of The Canyon - Annie Lennox
9. Magdelana Laundries - Emmylou Harris
10. Edith And The Kingpin - Elvis Costello
11. Help Me - K.D. Lang
12. River - James Taylor
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: James Taylor Jr. (vocals, guitar); Emmylou Harris (vocals, acoustic guitar); Sufjan Stevens (vocals, electric guitar, piano, Wurlitzer organ); Sarah McLachlan (vocals, piano); Caetano Veloso (vocals, hand claps, background vocals); k.d. lang, Annie Lennox, Elvis Costello, Cassandra Wilson (vocals); Ben Mink (guitar, mandola, violin, viola); James McAlister (guitar, drums, background vocals); Brandon Ross (guitar); Moreno Veloso (acoustic guitar, cello, tambourine, hand claps); Mac McAnally (acoustic guitar, keyboards); Bill Dillon (electric guitar); Baluji Shrivastav (sitar); Rob Moose, Naho Tsutsui (violin); Katie Schlaikjer, Jane Scarpantoni (cello); Andrew Findon (flute); Gregoire Maret (harmonica); Chris Caldwell (bass clarinet); Pete Whyman (saxophone); John Barclay (trumpet, flugelhorn); C.J. Camerieri, Craig Montoro (trumpet); Paul Pritchard, Hugh Seenan (French horn); Ben Lanz (trombone); Larry Goldings, Brad Mehldau (piano); Guy Sigsworth (celesta, programming); Dave Kershaw (organ); Marius de Vries (keyboards, programming); Matthew Cooper, Teddy Borowiecki (keyboards); Anthony Kerr (vibraphone); Kenny Davis & The Melodyaires (acoustic bass); Roy Babbington (bass guitar); Zero (drums, snare drum, agogo, shekere, tom tom, hand claps); Pete Thomas , John Blackwell, Randall Stoll (drums); Wilson DasNeves (bass drum, cuica); Stephane San Juan, Domenico Lancelotti (snare drum, shaker, hand claps); Imp?rio Serrano (agogo, cowbells, hand claps); Dinesh (tabla); Louis Jardim, Jeff Haynes (percussion); Damian Taylor (programming). | | Audio Mixers: James McAlister; Sufjan Stevens; Charles Paakkari ; Pierre Marchand; Heff Moraes; James Farber; Kevin Killen; Marc Ramaer; Daniel Carvalho; Matthew Cullen. | | Recording information: Allaire Studios, Shokan, NY (08/21/1997-11/07/2005); Avatar Studios, New York, NY (08/21/1997-11/07/2005); Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA (08/21/1997-11/07/2005); Easter Island Surround, Nashville, TN (08/21/1997-11/07/2005); Mega Studios, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (08/21/1997-11/07/2005); Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN (08/21/1997-11/07/2005); Placebo Studios East And West, Vancouver, British Colum (08/21/1997-11/07/2005); The Aquarium, London, England (08/21/1997-11/07/2005); The Buddy Project, Queens, NY (08/21/1997-11/07/2005). | | Editors: Guy Sigsworth; Damian Taylor. | | Unknown Contributor Role: Zero. | | Arrangers: James McAlister; Sufjan Stevens; Cassandra Wilson; Elvis Costello; Moreno Veloso; Domenico Lancelotti; Brandon Ross; Caetano Veloso. | | Although Joni Mitchell's place in the popular imagination is forever cemented by the acoustic intimacy and confessional lyrics of her classic 1971 album BLUE, she was perhaps the most artistically fearless singer-songwriter of her generation, moving into musical directions most of her peers would never imagine. As a result, A TRIBUTE TO JONI MITCHELL is a varied and wide-ranging album covering almost all sides of her artistry. From Sufjan Stevens's chamber-pop reimagining of "Free Man In Paris" to Elvis Costello's dramatic, jazzy take on "Edith and the Kingpin," the artists here are similarly unafraid to take the material in new directions. Cassandra Wilson's torch-song vibe on "For the Roses" and Prince's playful reinvention of "A Case of You" are equally effective, while James Taylor's "River" and Annie Lennox's "Ladies of the Canyon" stay closer to the original material. | | Joni Mitchell covers dot the musical landscape the way Tim Hortons doughnut shacks line the highways of Ontario. It's a little surprising, then, that the first Mitchell tribute album to be released on a major U.S. label didn't emerge until 2007, which was coincidentally the same year Mitchell was scheduled to release Shine, her first studio effort to appear in some ten years. And as far as tribute albums go, A Tribute to Joni Mitchell isn't half bad. The compilation is split up between songs that were recorded specifically for the tribute album, such as Sufjan Stevens' "A Free Man in Paris," and those that were recorded and released previously, such as James Taylor's "River." The tracks that were recorded specifically for A Tribute are far and away the best. Stevens approaches "A Free Man in Paris" with his characteristic, and fitting, over-the-top irony and band geek sensibilities. Opening with a brass fanfare, the kind that wouldn't be out of place in the opening credits of a network news show, Stevens' cover tackles the original with an appropriate sense of theatricality and fun. Bj?rk's lilting cover of "Boho Dance," lush with synthesized bells and whorls, arguably rivals the original. She does a very good job of allowing Mitchell's lyics to unfurl, even while she twists and transforms the song, fairy godmother-style, into something otherworldly. And Caetano Veloso's rendition of "Dreamland" is simply a revelation. It's not a huge stretch from the original, but Veloso's light, gentle vocals, augmented by the the warm, loose Brazilian instrumentation, somehow manages to grab Mitchell's narrative and bring it to life. Mitchell is a storyteller, and the best tracks on here are those that welcome and explore her narratives. The worst ignore or misinterpret them. Prince pays little attention to Mitchell's lyrics on "A Case of You," slashing the first two verses in order to cut right to the chase. This abridged version has a lot of soul, but it does little to pay tribute to Mitchell's original; Prince cut out the pathos and made the song sappy. To be fair, Mitchell's a difficult person to pay tribute to, let alone cover, seeing how she's one of those rare singer/songwriters whose abilities as a performer are equal to her compositions. This stands in stark contrast to someone like Bob Dylan, whose songs were often just as, if not more, enjoyable in their Jimi Hendrix or Joan Baez incarnations. But while she's ultimately the best performer of her own work, Mitchell, with her warbly soprano and idiosyncratic sense of composition, hasn't always lent herself to the unaccustomed ear. A Tribute to Joni Mitchell is thus a great listen for those who'd like to ease into the breadth and range of Mitchell's work by way of established, accessible artists like Prince, Sarah McLachlan and Taylor. Granted, fans will probably find themselves yearning for the original material after listening to this disc, but this is only another way in which A Tribute succeeds. These interpretations, imperfect as they can be, provide new vantage points from which Mitchell's original albums can be located, analyzed, and appreciated. ~ Margaret Reges |
Producer: Ben Mink; James McAlister; Sufjan Stevens; Charlie Paakkari; Brian Ahern; Pierre Marchand; Cassandra Wilson; Guy Sigsworth; Elvis Costello; K.D. Lang; Brad Mehldau; James Taylor, Jr.; Moreno Veloso 2; Steve Lipson; Ben Mink; James McAlister; Sufjan Steve |
Engineer: James McAlister; Sufjan Stevens; Charlie Paakkari; Pierre Marchand; Donivan Cowart; Joe Lipinski; Femi Jiya; Heff Moraes; James Farber; Marc Ramaer; Benedict Fenner; Daniel Carvalhho; Matthew Cullen; Anthony Ruotolo; Guthenberg Pereira; Marco Hoffer; Tude |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 04/24/2007 | | Original Release Date : 2007 | | Catalog ID : 122620 | | Label : Nonesuch Records (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Runtime : 53m : 30s | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00075597998955 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Spin (p.91)
- 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] consistently fine tribute. Most remarkable is how each Joni supplicant is able to still exude his or her own essence."No Depression (p.84)
- "[E]ach track has its own merits, and none exist only as placeholders for the real thing....A key to why this disc works is the pairing of performer and song." |
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