> That being said, Joni is one of a handful of artists that CAN
produce themselves and be successful. BUT to think that nobody else
could bring something better to a project is pretty arrogant, I think.
In Joni's case I don't think it is arrogant. Joni is one of the few
people in the music business who has a complete vision of what she
wants her records to sound like and knows how to get it. If she lets
someone else tamper with it, it becomes less her own vision and begins
to become partly someone else's work. Arrogant or not, I admire her
for sticking to her guns & insisting on having things her own way.
Although the idea of Joni working with Daniel Lanois is intriguing, I
hope she never does it. I want to hear whatever ideas she wants to
present in whatever way she chooses to present them. I may not always
go hog wild over them, but I will always listen with respect to what
she has to say.
TTT had great songs, and gets off to a grand start with the sonic
contrasts of Harlem in Havana and MFM (although the piano version *IS*
better). But after that, the great songs all start to SOUND the same.
IMO, a producer could have brought a fresher perspective and turned
out a more varied and a more successful (depending on how you measure
'success') project.
I don't think TTT was supposed to have a lot of variation in mood &
color. In that respect it's a lot like Hejira, imo. It does have a
couple of songs that jolt you out of that kind of laid back mood,
Harlem in Havana & the infamous 'Lead Balloon'. But I don't think the
rest of it all sounds completely the same. There are subtle
variations in mood & color from one song to the next. Just like there
are on Hejira. I really don't understand why people think this is a
'weak' album. I think it's gorgeous and I was a bit disappointed when
she said she wasn't going to do any more original stuff for awhile
after she released TTT. Maybe in another 20 years people will begin
to appreciate TTT the way they do Hejira. I really wonder if there is
a prejudice against electronic music here, at least when Joni does it.
WTRF , DED, CMIARS and TTT seem to get the most criticism from people
on this list. TTT at least (imo anyway) doesn't deserve it.
Mark in Seattle
