Culture / Music

A new album from Joni Mitchell is on the way

joni mitchell live album

We're nearing the holidays, which means it's time to queue Joni Mitchell's melancholic River. If you're a Spotify girlie, this tradition might be a little difficult to stick to given Mitchell left the streaming platform alongside her longtime friend Neil Young earlier this year. No matter, because word on the street is Joni Mitchell is dropping a new album soon. All the details, below.

Joni Mitchell revealed the news while giving a rare interview and appearing on Elton John's Apple Music Show, Rocket HourIn the segment the two discussed everything from the persistent relevance of Both Sides Now to the endless allure of A Case of You to her recent appearance at Newport Folk Festival in July. It's at this point that Mitchell reveals she's piecing together a live album based on her performance at the Rhode Island festival, her first in 22 years and without a rehearsal, no less.

Mitchell continues on to explain how she couldn't sing the key for the track Just Like This Train, as her voice has since shifted from a soprano to an alto. "So I couldn’t sing the song. And I thought people might feel lighted that if I just played the guitar part, but I like the guitar part to that song. So, anyway, it was very well received, much to my delight.” Elton John likened her deeper voice to that of Nina Simone, calling her one of his "favourite artists".

Long standing fans of Mitchell's will know that her last album Shine dropped in 2007, so fresh music (even if the songs are old favourites) is a winning prospect. At this stage there's no word on when we can expect this live album from Newport Folk Festival to drop, but we have all our limbs crossed that the answer is; soon. In the meantime, we concur with Elton John: Joni Mitchell should record an album à la Johnny Cash's Hurt from the plushly furnished room in which the conversation takes place.

Watch Joni Mitchell's conversation with Elton John, below.

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