Ask Joni Mitchell what a hejira is on her main page ... Hell Spiral Overall Album Score: 9.5 out of 10 Many-a people dub this album their favorite of the Joni Mitchell catalogue … and who am I to disagree with them? … SERIOUSLY!!!! … This is clearly Mitchell’s most consistent and aesthetically alluring album to date. The consistency of it is so evident that I cannot even pick out a favorite song in here. Right now, it’s a three-way tie between "Coyote," "Hejira," and "Refuge of the Roads." To complicate those matters further, whenever I get around to listening to this album a dozen times, every song on here might have a conceivable chance of being "in the running." In spite of the fact that this is Mitchell during her "I’m using a lot of instruments" era, the album I think this resembles the most is her debut! … These songs have a distinct rambly nature. In most cases, there really isn’t a vocal melody. The melodic hooks are either weak or absent. But, as with the debut, the hooks aren’t there by design! This stuff is of the beautiful variety that’s meant for the listener to immerse themselves into … to let soak in your minds like … scented candles. (Maybe that’s why Joni Mitchell is particularly popular among women … no manly man likes scented candles. And no manly man likes Joni Mitchell.) Anyway, I agree with a lot of people when I say this is my favorite Joni Mitchell album. It’s very close (because Song to a Seagull and Blue both scored 9.4’s), but … this is certainly very pretty. Overall Album Score: 9.5 out of 10 (Definitely Mitchell’s strongest album to this date, she delivers a set of rambly but gorgeous songs that’s perfect to immerse yourself into! The melodies aren’t hooky, but this is one of those examples where hooks aren’t necessary.) Average Song Score: 9.6 (Extremely pretty songs all around … it’s even very difficult for me to figure out what my favorite track on here is!) Album Tilt: 9.5 (Remarkably consistent … there really isn’t a song that stands out here above the others. A slight nit is that the album starts sounding kind of samey … in spite of the jazzy thing and the harder thing with the electric guitar. A very pretty album, however.) Artist Rating: 9.5 (Mitchell is as artistically alluring and breathtaking as she ever was … maybe even moreso.)\ Track Reviews Coyote 10/10 SING IT JOANIE!!!!!!!!!!!!! … Really … Joni Mitchell knows how to *sing it* … she also knows how to *play it* … and … yeah … I knew that about her from the very beginning, but … yeah. Well, this song is a fantastic guitar-oriented thing that’s sweet, snappy and excellent! The melody rambles (which recalls her early albums) but that’s a good thing! The instrumentation (which is definitely more layered than her early albums) is superb. Nice one! Amelia 9.5/10 Another rambly (and 6 minute!!!!) song, but it’s very pretty. The melody isn’t even one that would be with *hooks*, but Joni really knows how to inject her personality fully into these songs and make them all flower with beauty! … With the "lusher" arrangements, it’s made even nicer. Furry Sings the Blues 9.5/10 Joni Mitchell tells her story … and everybody listens … Another very pleasant acoustic song that’ll make you happy that you’re listening to Joni Mitchell … I know I am! The harmonica piping up every once in awhile in the background makes this quite homely. This is another polished song that’s verrrry enjoyable. A Strange Boy 9/10 It starts out rather reserved, but Mitchell packs on the emotion like NOBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD! … This is yet another gorgeous song from Mitchell … Oh, baby … Hejira 10/10 Yayyyy!!!!! This is probably the best song in here (although, I also have this song on a mix CD I made and listen to frequently … so take that statement for whatever it’s worth). At any rate, this certainly is among Mitchell’s most alluring instrumentation utilizing some sort of slide bass guitar (I’m not very instrument-identification-savvy) … That, along with perhaps the strongest melody on the album, makes "Hejira" among the better songs on here. Song for Sharon 9.5/10 8.5 minutes long!!!!! … Dudes … seriously … I think this is why the punk movement happened at about this time … Joni Mitchell making 8.5 minutes long … seriously … Actually, this is a pretty good song! This whole album is rambly! Remember me saying that before? Yeah, so, what’s the difference between 4 minutes of rambliness and 8.5 minutes of rambliness? Not much, really! … We get lost in this album, and this is yet another lovely song! Black Crow 9.5/10 …Is that almost a ***grooooove***?????? Dude! What’s with this Joni Mitchell lady, anyway? … Yeah! … AND IS THAT AN ELECTRIC GUITAR????? IS SHE MAD???? … Needless to say this is one of the *boldest* songs on the album … though not necessarily the best. It still has that rambly nature … It’s quite interesting the things she’s trying here. Always trying something new these days, it seems, while still essentially making the same thing. Blue Motel Room 9.5/10 …Excuuuse me! I didn’t realize that you were wearing a sparkly red jazz nightclub dress underneath that big black blanket you were wearing! This is a regular old jazz song that’s … um … very echoey and rather gorgeous. It’s as low-key as most the other songs on here … it is quite nice, though. Refuge of the Roads 10/10 Hey! This is very nearly a real song! (Hey, not to disrespect the other songs, all of which were quite lovely, but this is definitely has one of the more pronounce melodies with … a chorus!) … It might be because of that this ends up being among the best songs of the album, but also because Mitchell’s personality and emotionality really ***DRIVES*** this! … Oh, baby! Do it more! Do it more! … Oh crap, the album’s over. Oi! Comment about Joni Mitchell here!

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. Hey! Jira!