Album Spotlight Review: Joni Mitchell

Both Sides Now
PRODUCERS: Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein
Reprise 47620
After recording sterling albums like "Blue," "Ladies Of The Canyon," "Court And Spark," "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns," "Hejira," and "Turbulent Indigo," what's four-time Grammy winner Joni Mitchell to do for her 20th album? Well, take a step back in time (again), naturally. On the breathtaking "Both Sides Now," Mitchell revisits classic love songs like "Stormy Weather," "Answer Me, My Love," "You're My Thrill," and "I Wish I Were In Love Again." Along the way, she also re-recorded two nuggets from her own oeuvre: "A Case Of You" and the title track. Mindful listeners, as well as Mitchell disciples who hang on the singer's every word, will quickly realize that the song sequencing of "Both Sides Now" tells a timeless tale of modern love. What's most rewarding about this collection, though, is the solid union created between Mitchell's emotionally rich vocals and the musically rich orchestral maneuvers of the 71-piece London Symphony Orchestra. Such sublime matches like this come along all too infrequently.