Search - Counting Crows, Vanessa Carlton :: Big Yellow Taxi 1

Incredible Mitchell-like Feel

Michael Kerner | Brooklyn, New York U.S.A. | 05/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It seems as if when it comes to cover songs in the works, they always seem to lack a focus of appeal in the song, because you're so use to the original version. With The Counting Crows, they seem to hit it off very nicely with Vanessa Carlton's voice, on the cover of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi. While many artists have tried to cover Joni's classic, including Amy Grant back in 1994 from her album House Of Love, and Janet Jackson who sampled it in Got 'Til Its Gone, they don't seem to speak it out very well. Nevertheless, it became a surprise hit from the film 2 Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. Hopefully, there will be excellent covers like this one in the future. The Counting Crows should try it again with Vanessa Carlton on another good song like this."

One of The Few Decent Songs This Year

Aaron | Ohio, USA | 04/08/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've never really been a fan of Counting Crows, but this song actually caught by ear. Fairly faithful to Joni Mitchell's original, it's actually a decent song. Why Vanessa Carlton is on it is beyond me considering she doesn't do much of anything, but oh well. A definite standout from the other garbage on the radio right now."

Okay okay okay. Its both fun AND bad.

Carl | AC, NJ | 10/02/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Counting Crows is one of the only decent things to have happened in music, in my opinion, in the last decade. Increasingly, the music scene has been dominated by no-talent pretty faces singing heavily produced, sugar coated bubble pop, while Counting Crows is a sorrowful, soalful folk rock act that Ive always loved. Thats what makes this so painful and unexpected. 'Hard Candy' the album from which this single comes is produced by the inimitable Steve Lillywhite, but his concept here seems to have been to turn the Crows into a shiny-happy-poppyseed band, with this remake being the most agrevious sin on the disc. Admittedly, Mitchell's version wasnt very good, much as I like her, and from a career angle this was about the best thing the struggling Crows could have done. But it makes me miss the days when Duritz and Co. got big radio hits ala Mr Jones and Long December, all by themselves like big boys. The remake is alot of fun, but in the same sort of way that a naked cheerleader is fun: a great, quick time to be had, but dont expect a discussion of Nietzche when you two finish up. Likewise, its painful for fans of the Crows' real sound and lyrical depth to see them resort to this sort of thing. Everything else on the single is worth having."