Travelogue is the eighteenth studio album by Canadian musician Joni Mitchell. It was released on November 19, 2002, through Nonesuch Records. A double album, it was co-produced by Mitchell and Larry Klein, and consists of re-recordings of songs from Mitchell's back catalogue with orchestral arrangements by Vince Mendoza. At the time of its release, Mitchell announced it would be her last album, though it was later succeeded by Shine in 2007.
The album was not commercially successful and failed to chart, as well as receiving mixed reviews from critics. However, Mendoza won a 2004 Grammy award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for his arrangement of "Woodstock". As of 2007, the two-disc set had sold 72,000 copies in the US.
Contents
Reception
JazzTimes reviewer Christopher Louden wrote, "Tough as it is to rationalize, Joni Mitchell’s pack-a-day habit seems only to have enriched that exquisite voice of hers . . . Mitchell’s nicotine-stained throatiness shapes a vaguely melancholy sagacity that is stunningly beautiful".
Thom Jurek gave the album 4.5 stars for AllMusic and called it "a textured and poetic reminiscence, not a reappraisal, of her work ".
DownBeat gave the release 3.5 stars. The review said the album "is like eating high-grade, unsweetened dark chocolate. It's a rich, deep and powerful experience that demands an acquired taste . . . The lady's voice has changed (deepened mostly) but is still a compelling instrument and her deliberate vocal approach yields many fine rewards. Still, this collection is often weighed down by the seriousness of the project and feels mannered when it should be free".
Personnel
Joni Mitchell – vocals, art direction, photography, painting
Larry Klein – bass, musical direction
Herbie Hancock, John Lenehan – piano
Billy Preston – Hammond B3 organ
Chuck Berghofer – acoustic double bass
Paulinho da Costa – percussion
Brian Blade – drums
Wayne Shorter, Phil Todd – soprano saxophone
Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone
Kenny Wheeler – flugelhorn
Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader
Vince Mendoza – conductor, arrangement
Kris Johnson – background vocals
Chris Laurence, David Ayre, Leon Bosch, Mary Scully, Patrick Lannigan, Simon Benson – bass
Dave Stewart – bass trombone
Gavin McNaughton, Julie Andrews, Robin O'Neill – bassoon
Anthony Pleeth, David Bucknall, David Daniels, Frank Schaefer, Helen Liebmann, Jonathan Tunnell, Martin Loveday, Paul Kegg, Robin Firman, Stephen Orton, Tony Lewis – cello
Andrew Busher, David Porter-Thomas, Donald Greig, Gerard O'Beirne, Graham Godfrey, Jeremy Birchall, Jeremy Rose, John Bowley, John Kingsley-Smith, Jonathan Arnold, Jonathan Rathbone, Lindsay Benson, Matthew Brook, Metro Voices, Michael Dore, Michael Pearn, Robert Evans, Robert Johnston, Robert Kearley, Simon Grant, Stephen Charlesworth – choir