Review of Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the Canyon

Ladies of the Canyon was a giant step forward for an artist whose first two albums contained only self -accompaniment to sparsely adorned folk tunes that sounded like demos. With her third album, Joni Mitchell expanded her musical horizons by incorporating jazz arrangements and more elaborate instrumentations. 

Lyrically, Mitchell was outgrowing the wistfulness of earlier efforts and beginning to dramatize her life as an established artist struggling to balance ambition, love, and a fierce need for independence. Restlessness underlies the beauty of these songs, whose music largely consists of Mitchell accompanying herself on guitar or piano augmented by percussionist Milt Holland and sax player Jim Horn. 

The singer can find peace neither in the romantic adventurism of "Willy" nor in the pleasures of home in "Blue Boy." The hit single "Big Yellow Taxi" elevated Mitchell from underground folk darling to a pop phenomenon. "Woodstock," one of her most celebrated songs, is too self-conscious to be an all-out anthem, but is still the album's most out-going, least analytical moment. "The Circle Game," the album's closer, asserts Mitchell's ability to express complex emotional states in plain language. A supple chorus courtesy of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young puts her personalized message across beautifully. 
The question 'Could I be more?' that concludes "The Arrangement" haunts the entire album. It is a question that Mitchell may well be asking herself as she reels from the self-exploration that makes this album a defining moment in the singer/songwriter genre. 

Released Date: 1988
Reprise
Europe

Tracks:
Morning Morgantown
For Free
Conversation
Ladies of the Canyon
Willy
The Arrangement
Rainy Night House
The Priest
Blue Boy
Big Yellow Taxi
Woodstock
The Circle Game
 

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