Title: Embarrassing
Review: According to the liner notes, Joni Mitchell was asked by Charles Mingus to put lyrics to some of his tunes. That's what she should have attempted to do; she should have attempted to put straight lyrics to them, NOT lyrics ABOUT Mingus, and she should have attempted to sing them straight and not sing "jazz". I don't say she's hopeless as a jazz singer, but if she wanted to sing jazz, she should have recorded an album of standards (standards that already had lyrics, that is).The musicians here do a fine job, especially Jaco and Herbie (some great horn arranging by Jaco, by the way), but that's the accompaniment. Joni's lyrics are embarrassing and her singing seems pretentious and phony.In any case, this record simply doesn't work, and it ain't a-happening--which is why it was received unfavorably in its day and continues to be received unfavorably (except by Internet fetishists), to the extent it isn't ignored completely.
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