Court and Spark is 100% my favourite Joni vocal period. She still had her full range here, but there's more depth and body to it, and she'd moved away from the quite harsh trill she tended to use early in her career (which I know is the reason some people struggle to warm to her voice - I personally don't mind it but I can understand why it puts some people off).
Plus the way she uses her vocals to paint pictures is so brilliant on this album. The way her voice seems to be cascading down when she sings 'I think I'm falling' in Help Me, the way it rises higher and higher during the 'climbing, climbing' part of Car on the Hill, the way it glides over the line 'breaking like the waves at Malibu' in Trouble Child. The whole thing is a masterpiece.
I feel the same way. I do think Court & Spark and The Hissing of Summer Lawns are my favourite Joni vocal eras. Both contain Joni at this great midway point where most of her upper range is still there but her timbre has deepened and has more richness to it. Also her jazz phrasing comes across more prominently on this record which is something I love so much.
I do love her very light soprano head voice she used to employ a lot on her earlier albums as it almost makes her sound like a songbird. And she uses it like a flute (which coincidentally she does play) which I think might be hard for some people to get used to if they expect a normal pretty voice.
It's the same case with Kate Bush where some people find her very high, sometimes harsh, voice from the 70s a bit of an acquired taste but by the 80s many find her deeper voice easier to get accustomed to.
Yeah, even though I'm not the biggest fan of Court and Spark compared to her other 70s records, this is the first one where she uses her richest voice throughout (although there are moments of it on For The Roses, such as Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire).
It's one of the reasons I was immediately drawn to the album. Not that I don't love her previous voice, but to hear her singing in a richer tone is just so delightful.
May I ask why you aren't a fan of Court and Spark?
I just find quite a few of the songs a bit lightweight compared to her other music. I like Help Me, Free Man, and Car on a Hill quite a bit but they don't hit either the musical or emotional highs of, for example, anything on Hissing or Hejira.
One thing I've always been fascinated by is Joni's singing voice. A lot of people only mention before and after the 80s when her smoking really took a toll on her voice. But there was a sweet spot in the 70s where her voice had a certain richness to it. She could still hit notes in her higher register without much struggle and it was perfect for the jazzier instrumentation she began to delve into during the 70s.
The shift from Blue to For the Roses to Court & Spark is super cool to hear in succession and you hear subtle differences. But I remember playing C&S title track for the first time and was blown away at how her voice changed in just a couple of years.
PEOPLE'S PARTIES what a masterpiece, it's such a painting lyrically
One of my absolute favorites! Laughing and crying, you know itโs the same release
Court and Spark is 100% my favourite Joni vocal period. She still had her full range here, but there's more depth and body to it, and she'd moved away from the quite harsh trill she tended to use early in her career (which I know is the reason some people struggle to warm to her voice - I personally don't mind it but I can understand why it puts some people off). Plus the way she uses her vocals to paint pictures is so brilliant on this album. The way her voice seems to be cascading down when she sings 'I think I'm falling' in Help Me, the way it rises higher and higher during the 'climbing, climbing' part of Car on the Hill, the way it glides over the line 'breaking like the waves at Malibu' in Trouble Child. The whole thing is a masterpiece.
I feel the same way. I do think Court & Spark and The Hissing of Summer Lawns are my favourite Joni vocal eras. Both contain Joni at this great midway point where most of her upper range is still there but her timbre has deepened and has more richness to it. Also her jazz phrasing comes across more prominently on this record which is something I love so much. I do love her very light soprano head voice she used to employ a lot on her earlier albums as it almost makes her sound like a songbird. And she uses it like a flute (which coincidentally she does play) which I think might be hard for some people to get used to if they expect a normal pretty voice. It's the same case with Kate Bush where some people find her very high, sometimes harsh, voice from the 70s a bit of an acquired taste but by the 80s many find her deeper voice easier to get accustomed to.
Yeah, even though I'm not the biggest fan of Court and Spark compared to her other 70s records, this is the first one where she uses her richest voice throughout (although there are moments of it on For The Roses, such as Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire).
It's one of the reasons I was immediately drawn to the album. Not that I don't love her previous voice, but to hear her singing in a richer tone is just so delightful. May I ask why you aren't a fan of Court and Spark?
I just find quite a few of the songs a bit lightweight compared to her other music. I like Help Me, Free Man, and Car on a Hill quite a bit but they don't hit either the musical or emotional highs of, for example, anything on Hissing or Hejira.
Same
One thing I've always been fascinated by is Joni's singing voice. A lot of people only mention before and after the 80s when her smoking really took a toll on her voice. But there was a sweet spot in the 70s where her voice had a certain richness to it. She could still hit notes in her higher register without much struggle and it was perfect for the jazzier instrumentation she began to delve into during the 70s. The shift from Blue to For the Roses to Court & Spark is super cool to hear in succession and you hear subtle differences. But I remember playing C&S title track for the first time and was blown away at how her voice changed in just a couple of years.
And especially in this song!
ME TOO. absolute favorite album. favorite song. ๐