Joni Mitchell – Joni Mitchell At Newport (CD)
Review
Joni Mitchell laughing with joy is among the sweetest of sounds heard on At Newport.
The album captures Mitchell and a cast of musical friends and admirers at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival during the singer/songwriter's first public performance in two decades. Led by Brandi Carlile, the Joni Jam band includes Lucius, guitarists Taylor Goldsmith and Celisse, pianist Ben Lusher, percussionists Marcus Mumford and Matt Chamberlain, Allison Russell on clarinet and others.
Everyone sings.
Including, of course, Mitchell, whose voice has deepened and become less agile. But being a vocalist extraordinaire, the then-78-year-old shines on ballads such as "Amelia," "Both Sides Now" and "Summertime."
She even picks up an electric guitar for "Just Like this Train" to the delight of the appreciative audience which roars with delight every time Mitchell nails a note.
And even when she doesn't.
For her part, Mitchell is tickled, laughing with satisfied delight between – and occasionally during – numbers and offering support when her collaborators take over, as Lucius do on "Big Yellow Taxi" and Celisse does on "Help Me."
At Newport is ultimately less a Joni Mitchell album and more a celebration of Joni Mitchell. And in that regard, it is hugely successful.
— Kristopher Weiss, jambands.com
Product Details
The magnitude of that July 2022 Newport set only grows with time. Mitchell had stepped back from performing following her 2015 brain aneurysm, making her return to the festival stage something few in that audience thought they'd ever witness. Newport has always been where folk history gets made, from Dylan going electric in 1965 to Joni's own early appearances there, and this performance belongs in that same conversation.
Joni Mitchell stunned the Newport Folk Festival audience last summer when she gave a surprise performance – her first in 20 years – delivering a heartfelt set filled with some of her greatest songs. Mitchell’s triumphant return to the stage on July 24, 2022, will be featured on a new live album from Rhino, AT NEWPORT, available on July 28, 2023 on CD and 2-LP black vinyl. Produced by close collaborator Brandi Carlile, along with Mitchell, the music will also be released the same day on digital and streaming services and Dolby Atmos.
Tracklist
UPC: 603497832071
Label: Rhino
Release Date: 7.28.23
Format: CD