Joni Mitchell: Songs Chosen by Her Friends & Fellow Musicians

While the majority of Starbucks/Hear Music's compilations have been trite and predictable, credit must be given to the retailer's Joni Mitchell retrospective -- opting against a standard greatest-hits package (which makes sense, given Mitchell's limited commercial impact), Songs Chosen by Her Friends and Fellow Musicians compiles 13 recordings selected by some of the most legendary figures in pop music history, resulting in an eclectic yet complete portrait of the singer/songwriter spanning the entirety of her storied career. Alternating between selections from contemporaries (Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson) and acolytes (Prince, k.d. lang), the disc cherry-picks material from Mitchell's early singer/songwriter records like the landmark Blue to fusion efforts like Hejira to her late-period orchestral albums like Both Sides Now. Some inclusions are obvious ("Free Man in Paris," "For Free") and some are obscure ("Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire," "God Must Be a Boogie Man"), but the composite should please fans because it was chosen by fans, albeit fans who just happen to include some of the most significant figures in rock & roll.
--Jason Ankeny, All-Music Guide

Tracks

1. For Free
2. A Case of You
3. Free Man in Paris
4. For the Roses
5. Coyote
6. Raised on Robbery
7. Blue
8. Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire
9. A Strange Boy
10. Black Crow
11. God Must Be a Boogie Man
12. Two Grey Room
13. Both Sides Now [Orchestral Version]

Joni Mitchell - Songs Chosen by Her Friends & Fellow Musicians - 2005 - Live More Musically/Hear Music/Rh 68628