Clouds – JONI MITCHELL*****

Tin Angel/Chelsea Morning/I Don’t Know Where I Stand/That Song About The Midway/Roses Blue/The Gallery/I Think I Understand/Songs To Aging Children Come/The Fiddle & The Drum/Both Sides Now

Joni Mitchell’s second album Clouds cemented her reputation as one of the most distinctive and innovative singer songwriters from the late 1960s. The Grammy winning album includes the much covered Both Sides Now. (US:31)

“Clouds is Joni's glorious second album, featuring the classic Both Sides Now, but there are other brilliant songs as well. This is Joni's last album comprising just her and acoustic guitar. As always it features Joni's trademark brilliant lyrics.”

“Joni Mitchell’s masterpiece Clouds is an album filled with extraordinary musicality. Her scholarly and yet inventive voice sweeps easily from key to key, only accompanied by her own fabulous guitar work. The rich melodies are somehow veiled behind supposed simplicity. The compositions grow without end like healthy and dense vegetation.”

“There are few albums that are near essential, but this is one of them. Understanding this album outside of the context of the 60s is nearly impossible, but loving these songs transcends time and space. This body of work will stand on its own, equalled by but a few, yet never eclipsed.”

“Instrumentally the album is extremely sparse, with just the voice and the guitar doing all the work. Both Sides Now and Chelsea Morning were the two songs which really propelled her into the public eye on a more commercial front.”

“Joni Mitchell is a genius who stands on her own. Her music and lyrics meld into a seamless, living, breathing whole - taking on a magical essence that's greater than the sum of its parts. And those parts are some of the most brilliantly advanced and artful musings you will find in popular music.”

“As an artist, Mitchell shows a big leap in charisma. No longer the distant whimsical youth of her first album, she is now bold, forthcoming, whilst still retaining that voice. This time around she learned to save her soprano for when it really counts, and when to fade back to a whisper to allow a song to build. Also, her instrumentation is improving, though she still clings exclusively to acoustic guitar.”