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bookishlibrarian's review
3.25
I have read/listened to some of Ann Powers' music criticism before, so I was interested in reading her take on one of the most iconic singer-songwriters ever, Joni Mitchell. (Glowing blurbs by Hanif Abdurraqib, Emily Nussbaum, Rob Sheffield also didn't hurt!) I also haven't really dug into much of Mitchell's music or biography. From the beginning, Powers acknowledges her own relationship with Mitchell (admiring her contributions but at a remove) and that the book she is writing is not a traditional biography. She calls herself a mapmaker, traversing both the journeys Mitchell undertakes as a musician not content to stay in one place, and her own journey as a listener/writer examining her relationship to the artist. This is an interesting approach and I wanted her to lean a little more heavily into the latter.
Because it tries to straddle both of these lines, the facts of biography and the opinions of the critic are often blurred, where the author tries to envision what Mitchell's thoughts or motives were and extrapolates her own experiences (which, as a female music critic in a mostly male dominion, mirrors Joni's place in music circles) onto hers that would have worked better had it been more explicitly about Powers' relationship to Joni. This is especially true when Powers discusses some of the more problematic aspects of Mitchell's history, namely her cultural appropriation. Overall, it did make me more interested in Mitchell's music, though.
Because it tries to straddle both of these lines, the facts of biography and the opinions of the critic are often blurred, where the author tries to envision what Mitchell's thoughts or motives were and extrapolates her own experiences (which, as a female music critic in a mostly male dominion, mirrors Joni's place in music circles) onto hers that would have worked better had it been more explicitly about Powers' relationship to Joni. This is especially true when Powers discusses some of the more problematic aspects of Mitchell's history, namely her cultural appropriation. Overall, it did make me more interested in Mitchell's music, though.
annie_l_h's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
In many ways, this book gave me new insight into Joni Mitchell as both an artist and as a human. I was rather unfamiliar with Joni’s discography/her musical timeline before reading this biography, and furthermore had no clue about some of the negative aspects of her character that the media brushes over (such as her racism when it comes to the persona of a Black man she created, performed in blackface, and named “Art Nouveau”; her appropriation of Indigenous persons and Indigenous culture; etc). From my perspective as a casual Joni admirer, none of this information is very well known publicly; considering it tarnishes the “ethereal and effeminate goddess” image of Mitchell it’s no surprise that it’s looked over by hardcore fans and critics. The insight into these negative aspects of her character, as well as some of the simply lesser known aspects of her life such as her relationship with motherhood, her attitude(s) towards aging, and her strategy to climbing in the music industry beyond just her talent was very intriguing to learn more about. Ann Powers inspired curiosity within me to learn more about and listen to more of Joni’s work, as well as the work of other artists that span beyond just music that were mentioned in the novel. That being said, Powers gets quite bogged down in the first few chapters with very time specific musical/artistic references. While she is a music journalist and it is the nature of her job, to the general reader it gets very tedious to read. Getting through the first four or five chapters took significantly longer than reading the rest of the book did, simply because they were so disinteresting and not super aimed for a general reader/Joni Mitchell fan. This was the main downfall of the book for me and the main reason I will not be rating it higher, despite the much needed perspective and multifaceted account of Mitchell.
owlizabeth's review against another edition
I just…don’t think I like Joni enough for all this.
oldtobegin's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
before I read this I would have said I didn't like Joni mitchell. I still don't, but I now believe she's one of the most interesting and important figures of 20th century music.
this is some of the best music writing I've ever read, the kind of writing that gets me really excited. it's literary and scholarly but clear and emotional, with a strong authorial voice and a powerful, thoughtful structure.
I can't wait to read more of Ann Powers' work.
this is some of the best music writing I've ever read, the kind of writing that gets me really excited. it's literary and scholarly but clear and emotional, with a strong authorial voice and a powerful, thoughtful structure.
I can't wait to read more of Ann Powers' work.
clarbineds's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I felt better about my rating when I saw that other reviewers shared my opinions on the lack of an interview and the insertion of the author's personal anecdotes and criticisms. This book was not sold as a critical analysis or memoir. I will be looking for a biography in the future.