An Older and Wiser Look at Clouds, Love, and Life
Marky | Washington D.C. | 02/13/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I just watched the opening ceremonies of the winter olympics in Vancouver, and of course, Joni's re-imagined arrangement of "Both Sides Now" that was first recorded for this project was used in a very significant way in those ceremonies. I have always loved Joni Mitchell, and appreciated what she tried to do with this project. But, tonight . . . it seems that I finally got it. One still has the image of the young Joni singing this song with her guitar as the only accompaniment, her voice light and ethereal and even innocent. (YouTube helps in that regard) Well, she's no longer young and innocent, and the contrast between the young Joni and the mature Joni is enormous. The voice, deeper and richer, in places revealing the wear and tear of a lifetime of cigarettes and living the life of a musician. The song, now sung with sadness and hints of regret. I've heard many say that this song was the weakest element of this project, and I've never really disagreed. But, until tonight, I'd never listened to it outside of the context of this particular production. It got to me, tonight -- I was moved to tears. I have little respect for aging artists who are still trying to do what they did when they were teenagers. (Reference - The Who at last weekend's Super Bowl Halftime Show) I admire an artist whose music changes as he or she ages. When you've lived a while, you sing about both sides of clouds, and love, and life from a different point of view than you did when you were young. And, it can be a beautiful thing. Thanks, Joni."