Greetings list! I really don't have any Joni tunes that I don't find interesting, especially when taken in the context of her life at the time they were written and recorded - so I can't 'play' in the least favorite tune game. I can play in a most favorite game. The most magical 'canned' Joni to me (as compared to 'fresh' in the flesh) is the PWWAM DVD. She just looks so alive and comfortable in her skin during this performance. She radiates, buoyant, free. She looks joyous when dancing with her back up vocalist, and is just plain captivating during her 'topless knitting' story. And her voice - my god - just heavenly and moving. And her and the band's playing was marvelous, open and minimalist when appropriate - yet strong and gripping when the lyric and presentation called or it. Breathtaking when listened to in 5.1 digital surround sound. An epiphanal moment in time captured for eternity. Now that I have written this, I guess I do have a least favorite Joni - with the emphasis on FAVORITE - not 'least'. It would be the entire BSN CD. Not that it isn't beautiful it is - and I enjoy it for itself. The 'Joni' touch on the classics contained in BSN is very special. I'm glad she did it. It shows what a unique song stylist Joni is. As good as anybody doing classics IMHO. But I don't think this heavily orchestrated vehicle shows Joni, nor her original works that were recharted on BSN for orchestra, in their best light - which is free, subtle, coy, charming, light, poignant, humorous, streamlined, spontaneous, 'at the helm', and for Joni personally, the mistress of all she surveys - like in PWWAM! An example of what I'm saying is the song Comes Love. On BSN it is pretty, no doubt, but Joni's emotion is somewhat overshadowed by the weight of the orchestra. But on PWWAM, 'Comes Love' goes straight to the soul, and leaves you speechless. TIA, Artheo NP -
