A Case of Joni

A Tribute to Joni Mitchell finally arrives in stores today after nearly a decade of delays. Originally titled A Case of Joni, the Nonesuch Records release boasts a few terrific tracks, some intriguing oddities and a couple of flat tires. Given Joni's royal stature in the music biz and the eight year incubation period for the project, the disc really ought to be better. Why does the set conclude with James Taylor's wretched take on "River" when any number of Joni devotees (Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant or Tori Amos, for instance) would have put a much fresher spin on one of Mitchell's legendary compositions? Is it just because Joni and James go way back to the early 1970s, when Joni based several tracks from Blue on Taylor? And why the hell does this "new" release contain Sarah McLachlan's 1995 cover of "Blue," which appeared on a 1995 pro-choice compilation disc called Spirit of '73? It's a beautiful version, but a complete waste of time for fans who have vigilantly kept track of Joni cover songs over the years.

That said, several of the artists concoct strange and fascinating arrangements. The disc starts off with Sufjan Stevens's bold, anti-melodic take on "Free Man in Paris" and progresses to Bjork's scary little girl lullaby rendition of "The Boho Zone." Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau presents a smooth instrumental version of "Don't Interrupt the Sorrow," and Prince skips two complete verses of "A Case of You" (he makes up for it by hitting the highest of high notes from Joni's soprano days.)

A few musicians stick closer to the source material, and generally fare well with that approach. Cassandra Wilson's take on "For the Roses" is far jazzier than Joni's original version, but - unlike Sufjan's "Free Man"- fans will have no trouble recognizing the tune. Annie Lennox soars with "Ladies of the Canyon," and Emmylou Harris wistfully channels Joni's trademark melancholy in "The Magdalene Laundries." Elvis Costello's orchestral arrangement of "Edith and the Kingpin" is impressive from a technical standpoint, but so far it has left me a little cold. Finally, k.d. lang revives the groovy spin on "Help Me" that she unveiled at a live tribute to Joni in 2000.