Night Ride Home

Joni Mitchell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 5, 1991)
• Original Release Date: March 5, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B000000ORX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,023 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A 'return' to center for Joni, April 30, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Ride Home (Audio CD)

Historically, "Night Ride Home" has been called Joni Mitchell's return to form. It was her first album in the 90's and the aural atmosphere surrounding the songs seemed like a welcome relief from her turgid 80's material. I have been and remain an avid fan; even so, "Dog Eat Dog" and "Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm" are not particularly favorite's of mine. So when "Night Ride Home" appeared it seemed as if Joni (and Larry, of course) had begun to feel that an uncluttered approach to her music was best. And they were right! "Night Ride Home" is just another example of Mitchell's stunning range as songwriter, guitar player and singer. The title track is a lovely ballad, all the more enjoyable since it reflects on a small cherished moment between Joni and Larry. Her reworking of Yeates' "Slouching Toward Bethlehem" is terrific: her plaintive guitar work is surrounded by thunderous percussion and siren wails. It's sense of the coming 'revelation' is ominous. And who -- but Joni Mitchell -- would have the nerve (and good sense) to change Yeates' original text? "Come In From the Cold" offers Joni's slightly middle-aged perspective on romance & relationships. Gone is the doomed folkie from "Blue" which kind of cast her as the "Sarah Bernhardt" of the '70s; now she assumes a more mature and realistic (while not overtly cheery) stance on matters of the heart. Two songs regarding Joni's childhood also appear: "Cherokee Louise" recounts the story of a sexually abused girlfriend while "Ray's Dad's Cadillac" concerns itself with slightly less weighty matters (a la "In France They Kiss On Main Street"). Ironically, despite "Cherokee Louise"'s repugnant theme, Mitchell's guitar work and percussion make the song a toe-tapper. "Night Ride Home" laid the groundwork for Mitchell's next masterpiece, "Turbulent Indigo". It is a fine collection of songs from a true master: strong, vibrant and immensely enjoyable.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid musical genius., May 24, 2001

By 

Matt Marx (Mount Kisco, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Ride Home (Audio CD)

Upon hearing the name "Joni Mitchell", the everyday joe thinks back to the early and mid-1970's, when breakthrough albums like Blue and Court And Spark nearly made her a household name in the music industry. What the everyday joe doesn't know, however, is that one of her most flavorful and deep albums to date was recorded far after her heyday. When the 1990's were drawing their infant breaths, under the grunge and teen-pop, Night Ride Home was released.

Joni's voice had gotten deeper along with her music. The now sharp and enigmatic singing blended with the haunting and mysterious guitar work, a far cry from the blissful and soaring songs she had written over 15 years earlier. The opening track, "Night Ride Home", is a swayable sensation written about a colorful 4th of July twilight (elaborated by crickets chirping in the background).

The title track is followed by the sophisticated "Passion Play", and the spine-chilling story of "Cherokee Louise". "The Windfall" and "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" are powerful, edgily-spoken songs that dive as dark as folk music can go.

"Come In From The Cold" is one of the album's most defining moments. The 7-minute opus is full to the brim of full-bodied acoustic guitar, soft percussion, and Joni's voice as powerful and radiant as ever. The song serves a story, with spellbinding lyrics ("We had hope, the world had promise for a slave to liberty. Freely, I slaved away for something better, and I was bought and sold. And all I ever wanted was to come in from the cold.")

The album concludes with four more tracks of the album's signature huskiness. Fans of Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, and even softer Neil Young will be put in a trance by the subtle mystery this album has to offer. This album is extremely dark, but by no means dismal.

With complex acoustic guitarwork and a sheer, emotional palate of lyrics and vocals to sing them, Night Ride home is essential for any Joni Mitchell fan, and those who enjoy the darker , huskier side of folk (a la Neil Young's 1992 Harvest Moon album). Hear the work of a true legend.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous Return To Form By Miss Joni!, February 9, 2001

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Night Ride Home (Audio CD)

No one made more impact on the sixties and early seventies folk-rock scene with her deeply personal songs than Joni Mitchell. So, when she returned to the same style and presentation after a long absence in the early nineties with this album, it certainly galvanized our collective consciousness by provocatively presenting a number of songs that are both representative of and yet quite superior to a lot of what she had done before. Here Joni presents a song writing that is both mature and serious, and yet showing her mischievous side with a few songs like "Come In From The Cold", which is probably the most accomplished and popular of the tunes collected here.

Yet we linger over other songs as well, such as the title cut of "Night Ride Home", which is a memorable glimpse into her private and personal world with her husband in some moments alone out on the road. A lot of similar cues to her aversion to being a public personality are here; the hope for quiet, the reference of "no phones till Friday", etc. So, while this is no outrageously autobiographical tour of the state of her psyche as some previous albums had been, it does represent a return to her habit of speaking loudly and clearly about a number of personal and social issues she has in mind. Another memorable effort is "Passion Play", with its provocative verses and interesting arrangement, and one must mention a quite lovely "Nothing Can be Done". All of the songs make for a worthwhile listening experience.

Of course, no one as observant and perceptive as Mitchell can help but make shrewd side remarks at the inanity of social circumstance or political happenstance along the way, and we laugh along while accompanying her on this soulful journey through the risky, crater-filled landscape of life in the nineties. This album marks a return to her classic form, and is an outstanding effort by one of the most captivating, surprising, and articulate talents in modern music. From the numbers mentioned above to her treatment of everything from original songs to a stunning interpretation of William Butler Yeats famous poem "The Second Coming", this is filled with numbers you will be humming and singing along with. You will find yourself listening to it and shaking your head knowingly as you recognize her wisdom as she sings her way into the millennium. Enjoy.