Arguably Mitchell's best studio recording since MINGUS, TAMING THE TIGER picks up where TURBULENT INDIGO left off, but there's a notable progression, both musical and lyrical. The biggest reason may be Mitchell's grasping of the production reins. Gone are the slick excesses of bassist Larry Klein's production. TAMING THE TIGER achieves a unity of vision, a fact that also owes to the arrangements' focus on Mitchell's own guitar and synthesizer work. The recurrent sonic texture here is an almost Zawinul-esque tapestry of electronic sounds; silvery synth and guitar-synth form an attractive latticework over which Mitchell lays her jazzy, unpredictable vocal melodies.
Though she's grown a bit crankier as she's gotten older, when she lambasts contemporary pop culture (the title track) and attacks Victorian mores ("Face Lift") she doesn't come off as curmudgeonly as she did on the diatribes of her previous album. There's an airiness and joy to TAMING THE TIGER that had been missing in Mitchell's music for a long time. Even the most cerebral tunes have a winning lightness.
Personnel: Joni Mitchell (vocals, keyboards, percussion, background vocals); Greg Leisz (guitar); Wayne Shorter (saxophone); Brian Blade (drums).
Audio Mixers: Dan Marnien; Joni Mitchell.
Arranger: Joni Mitchell.
Personnel: Joni Mitchell (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion); Femi Jiya (spoken vocals); Michael Landau (guitar); Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar); Wayne Shorter (saxophone); Larry Klein (bass); Brian Blade (drums).
Engineers include: Femi Jiya, Dan Marnien, Tony Phillips.
STUNNING! I recently pulled this CD out after having it for years but never listening to it. Shame on me for that oversight. The opening tracks, Havana Harlem' and 'Man from Mars' alone are worth far more than whatever the CD costs; they really are quite stunning in their content, structure and subtleties. I'm a musician of many years, and while the likes of Jeff Beck, Camel and other melodically muso artists thrill me, Joni seduces me with the sheer intelligence of her writing and the brilliance of the arrangements, playing and production. And let's not forget the great - and tastefully musical - players that accompany her. Taming the tiger, indeed. The world needs more Joni.
Submitted by wayneb (Fredericton, NB, Canada) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Joni's last new recordings...... This was Joni Mitchell's last collection of new recordings and
it took me a while to get into the
new guitar sounds but when I put it
in the cd mix years after its release, it just stands out as
some of her best stuff over the past
20 years. Her vocals have such a burnished quality, deep & soulful with
a jazz finish, A one of a kind singer.
Just the way she plugs on the strings
is so unusual. Always with a different
look on life, shes created some of
modern music's masterpieces over the
years and on this recordings shes not
trying to be anything but classy, personal and interesting all at the
same time, great music with beautiful
arrangements(especially the horns, they color everything they touch), many many highlights all the way through, its a shame Joni decided to
hang it up on this one, she should be
recording her own stuff and putting
it out here and there on the internet
when she pleases and not deal with
record companies. Movies soundtracks
would kill for her intimate vocals
and arrangements. I'm glad shes putting
out her songs on these newer sample
collections as well as the nice take
on standards and reworking her older
stuff on orchestrations. Submitted by littlebibs (Kingston, NH on the lake USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
The show is about to begin...step right up! What a wonderful record! If you loved 'Hejira' and 'Turbulent Indigo', then this album will be one of your favourites. This cd has a jazzy atmosphere. Joni's voice is so delightful now: sweet as bourbon whiskey. Stand out tracks on this album are 'Love puts on a new face', 'No apologies' and 'Stay in Touch' (I just love that saxophone!). Those songs are even better than the ones on Hejira. I hope that Joni will continue making wonderful lyrics and melodies. She is a legend! Submitted by mandarino_1980 (United Kingdom) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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