ALBUM REVIEW: Joni Mitchell - For the Roses

    Joni Mitchell had been proving herself a capable singer-songwriter since the start of her career in 1968, but it was in 1971 when she truly cemented herself amongst the likes of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Paul Simon - that her, she dropped Blue on an unsuspecting public, to date one of the most emotionally biting reflections on lost love in the folk scene to date. While Mitchell had seen success with the likes of Clouds and Ladies of the Canyon in 1969 and 1970 respectively, there was nothing like Blue before it, both in terms of success and craftsmanship - it all lead up to that. Of course, there comes the question of how one is supposed to follow up an album as dense and affecting as Blue, and for Joni, it seems that the next step was already coming. For the Roses isn't as impactful as it's predecessor, but it showcases Mitchell's never-ending artistic ambitions, this time with matured compositions and a growing influence from jazz, which will certainly influence her career later on. If nothing else, it makes for a more than worthy follow-up to her watershed moment, all while paving the way for the next.

     In some ways, For the Roses still carries ideas from Blue, but one thing it certainly differs itself in is through its production - for as clean and professionally produced as her previous record was, For the Roses takes a turn into a much more lush sound, exemplified by Mitchell's influence from jazz. Tommy Scott is the name of the game here with his lush woodwinds, which gives more than a few songs an added flavor that wasn't on the often more minimal Blue. The album often has much more layers to its sound, best seen on the sound of "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" with Mitchell's smooth guitar playing being matched with an equally lush assortment of woodwinds and some almost funky James Burton guitar strumming under all of the chaos. Even on the album's more minimal moments such as the beautiful "Barangrill", Mitchell still takes her jazz influence with her, with that song's tasteful flutes adding a new dimension to Mitchell's work on this album. That's not to say she still can't do the ol' folk pop thing, with "You Turn Me On I'm a Radio" being a lovable little folk number with some healthy corn - it's brilliantly clean and wouldn't sound out of place on Blue if it weren't so upbeat sounding. Joni's influence also draws from classical here, best seen with album closer "Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's Tune)", a song with an acknowledgement of inspiration from Ludwig Von Beethoven - insert joke about how that's the closest I'll get to reviewing classical. It all helps to make For the Roses sound fantastic, arguably better than Blue at points, and all while Mitchell's sharp performances haven't ceased - her playing is still delicate, and her singing as good as ever.

    It's not like the lyrical contents has completely switched up from Blue either, as there are plenty of resonant moments emotionally throughout - if Blue was about Graham Nash, than For the Roses is about James Taylor. Songs like "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" are a direct reflection on the relationship, including Taylor's heroin addiction, and it's hard to not see a song like the complexity of flawed love on "Woman of Heart and Mind". Of course, it's not all about love, and some of the album's best moments divide from Blue in this facet - the opening track "Banquet" is a picture of greed at a lavish table where "some get the gravy, some get the gristle, and some get nothing though there's plenty to spare". The album's peak moment "Barangrill" is a more meditative song on enlightenment and self-discovery, bolstered by one of Mitchell's best vocal performances on the album. There's also the aforementioned hit "You Turn Me On I'm a Radio", a tongue-in-cheek song made in response to Asylum Records asking Mitchell for a radio-friendly hit. Just these few songs alone showcase Mitchell's variety in subject matter, but one of the more central themes of this record is a distaste for show business; the original album cover was a drawing by Mitchell of a bouquet of roses coming out of a horse's ass as a piece of commentary on the music industry. The title track reflects this overall feeling, a self-portrait of disillusion with fame, and other moments like "Lesson in Survival" or "Let the Wind Carry Me" showcase a side of Joni that longs for a more conventional and peaceful life, with the former showcasing a particular love of nature. It makes for a fairly diverse record, both in sound and lyricism, not entirely dissimilar from some of her earlier albums, but now with a wiser and more adventurous Mitchell.

    It's clear at this point that Joni Mitchell was in her complete element, and For the Roses is nothing but a continuation of her songwriting prowess. While it's a step-down from the heartbreaking Blue, that by no means makes anything we hear here a disappointment - the compositions are full of life, and Mitchell's lyricism only continues to thicken and mature as her albums go on. It's a lush and often brilliant album through and through, and one that serves as both a worthy follow-up album, and as a great stepping stone for what's to come for Joni - certainly, there's not a whole lot to disappoint here.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to For the Roses.