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Critic Reviews
100
There’s nobody else who could write songs like these, and that she’s still doing it-and bringing work of this depth to a marketplace that often celebrates the frivolous-is a reason to rejoice.
12y
100
Joni Mitchell delivers a counter-intuitive, brilliant artistic response.
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3y
91
Joni Mitchell's first album of (mostly) new material in nine years is reminiscent of a chapter from the singer-songwriter's past — not her famous, acoustic balladeering Blue period but her subsequent, jazzier albums.
10y
80
On Shine, Mitchell sings with wisdom and grace, sadness and compassion. Her mark is indelible.
6y
80
It’s a weird record and a beautiful record and a record that tells some great stories, even if several of those stories are about a profound disappointment with this culture and this government.
12y
80
Shine is an unsettling album, full of lean, articulate statements that are not meant to make you feel good.
12y
80
A strange, intoxicating and unsettling album, idiosyncratic enough to make you glad Joni Mitchell put her retirement on hold.
10y
80
Yet in spite of the overt references to holy war, genocide, beached whales and wanton destruction of the environment for profit, Mitchell makes everything sound so darn pleasant, the dire urgency of her warning is easy to miss.
6y
80
Despite some painfully simplistic moments, Joni Mitchell's sombre anti-war album contains some fine work.
4y
80
Here Mitchell, 63, is on quietly furious, smoky-voiced form.
2y
60
On her first album in five years and first for Starbucks — a connection some anti-corporatists will foolishly disparage — she rails against environmental ills with the privileged pique of someone who considers the world’s failure to resemble the one she grew up in a cosmic affront.
11y
60
It might not add up to vintage Joni, but her artistic integrity and sheer class are never in doubt.
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3y
40
Shine [offers] a lacklustre retread of familiar issues in Mitchell's trademark coffee-table folk-jazz settings, awash with that ghastly saxophone that's closer to Kenny G than Charlie Parker.
2y
I wish this album didn't exist.
'Shine' is a late career gem with incredible lyricism and impressive vocal performances. The compositions swing between charming and decent. It's a project that portrays what Joni stands for and her outlook towards the state of the world as a 63 year old woman. It's always interesting to know what's on musical geniuses' minds.
That being said, I wish this album didn't exist as it isn't a statement strong enough to, most likely, close off her career as 2002's ... read more
Production-wise, “Shine” is absolutely gorgeous and a career-highlight for the Canadian legend. Joni’s first record featuring new material in nearly a decade, since “Taming the Tiger” in 1998— “Shine” in certain ways returns Joni to what some would consider a prior glory. The record features stunning musical arrangements, production, instrumentation, excellent lyricism, and wonderful vocal performances from Joni. Containing some of her best tracks ... read more
1. One Week Last Summer - 60
2. This Place - 55
3. If I Had a Heart - 70
4. Hana - 55
5. Bad Dreams - 60
6. Big Yellow Taxi (2007) - 65
7. Night of the Iguana - 60
8. Strong and Wrong - 60
9. Shine - 70
10. If - 65
This album was interesting when it comes to the change it took sonically, but it was a boring album overall.
Contributions By
royalflush, philthy, Alejandro González, erik, sweertner, Maxinelliott, OPENblinds, whno, GeemBecome a Subscriber
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Track List
| 1 | One Week Last Summer 4:59 | 82 |
| 2 | This Place 3:54 | 84 |
| 3 | If I Had a Heart 4:04 | 80 |
| 4 | Hana 3:43 | 77 |
| 5 | Bad Dreams 5:41 | 79 |
| 6 | Big Yellow Taxi (2007) 2:47 | 76 |
| 7 | Night of the Iguana 4:38 | 77 |
| 8 | Strong and Wrong 4:04 | 81 |
| 9 | Shine 7:29 | 81 |
| 10 | If 5:32 | 84 |
Total Length: 46 minutes
