Tuesday New Album Releases 9/25/07: This Week It's All About Joni (Plus Foo Fighters, Miles, will.i.am, Chaka Khan, And More) - Page 2

So I haven't heard Shine yet, but it has a real pretty cover and the buzz is that Mitchell was artistically invigorated when she recorded it. I've also been told that her voice sounds better here than it has in years. I do know that it has an updated version of her classic song "Big Yellow Taxi."

Personally, I've always liked Mitchell's so-called "jazz period" best, when she was making albums like The Hissing Of Summer Lawns and Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, in the seventies with people like Jaco Pastorius and The Brecker Brothers. For that reason, I'm pretty excited about this week's release of Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters, where the jazz keyboard great does an entire album of music either written or inspired by Mitchell. Hancock is joined on the album by musicians like Wayne Shorter, as well as vocalists Norah Jones, Leonard Cohen, and even Joni herself.

A week or so ago, Pico wrote such a great review here of this week's Miles Davis boxed set release of The Complete On the Corner Sessions, that there really isn't a lot I can add to it. Judging by what I read there, this sounds like an absolute must for any Miles Davis, or any serious jazz fan period for that matter. But don't take my word for it, just read Pico's very insightful and comprehensive review instead.

The advance word on Chaka Khan's Funk This, is that this is a return to her seventies funkified greatness, that has Chakaholics around the world salivating for it's release today. Chaka is said to sound better than she has since the days of Rufus here.

The Foo Fighters are reunited with producer Gil Norton (who produced their 1997 hit The Colour And The Shape) for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. Dave Grohl and company once again mix up the rockers with more acoustic sounding folk-rock here, continuing the musical expansions they began exploring on their last album, which was a two record set.

Finally, Kanye West and 50 Cent may have to make room at the top of the charts for will.i.am's Songs About Girls, which is the hip hop artist and producer's first solo outing for a major label. The album is led by the humorous, and quite hooky single "I Got It From My Mama."

Article Author: Glen Boyd

You'll find Blogcritics music editor Glen Boyd sharing his Thoughtmares on his personal blog The Rockologist. Glen is also the author of Neil Young FAQ, published in May 2012 by Backbeat Books/Hal Leonard Publishing.

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