Joni Mitchell at Newport is a live album by singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on July 28, 2023, by Rhino Records.[1] The album contains her entire performance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival on July 24, 2022.[2][3] For the performance, Mitchell was joined by a group of musicians (credited as "the Joni Jam") including Brandi Carlile, Wynonna Judd, and Marcus Mumford.[4] It was her first public performance since suffering an aneurysm in 2015.[3] The album won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2024.[5]
| Joni Mitchell at Newport | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | July 28, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | July 24, 2022 | |||
| Venue | Fort Adams State Park (Newport, Rhode Island) | |||
| Length | 61:24 | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Joni Mitchell chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| American Songwriter |   [7] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 6.0/10[9] |
Joni Mitchell at Newport received a score of 79 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on twelve critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6] Uncut deemed it "fair to say that Mitchell rarely does the heavy lifting here. Her role onstage is a fluid one: muse-goddess, North Star, shredder, comic foil and sometimes singer. The playing by her fellow artists is stellar and the backing vocals, in particular, ooze class", while Classic Rock described it as an "album packed with absolute love and admiration that is moving and inspiring in the extreme".[6]
Reviewing the album for Exclaim!, Sam Boer called the album "a reminder of the way Mitchell lives, and the way her music compels us to live", writing that "the sheer variety of musicians on stage for this festival performance is reason enough" to listen to the album, whose arrangements "carry a necessarily improvisational energy". Boer concluded it is Mitchell's "victory lap".[8] Lee Zimmerman of American Songwriter found it "hard not to get caught up in the sentiment shared both on and off that festival stage" and summarized the album as "a remarkable recording" and one that "can easily be considered an album for the ages".[7]
Grayson Haver Currin of Pitchfork likened the album to "a selfie snapped from some overwhelming vista, where the faces of the subjects accidentally crowd out the actual sight they're there to behold", and wrote that "Carlile's approach to the songs borders on suffocation" as she is "constantly reminding the audience that she's here, that she's partially responsible for this". Currin nevertheless felt that it "does get one thing exactly right, a sometimes-neglected aspect of Mitchell's career: her humor or, more exactly, her laughter", as her wit has been "frequently overlooked".[9]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Joni Mitchell, except "Summertime" written by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, and DuBose Heyward
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction by Brandi Carlile" | 2:41 |
| 2. | "Big Yellow Taxi" | 2:40 |
| 3. | "A Case of You" | 4:51 |
| 4. | "Amelia" | 7:59 |
| 5. | "Both Sides Now" | 5:40 |
| 6. | "Just Like This Train" | 3:31 |
| 7. | "Summertime" | 5:52 |
| 8. | "Carey" | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Help Me" | 5:20 |
| 10. | "Come in from the Cold" | 7:34 |
| 11. | "Shine" | 5:44 |
| 12. | "The Circle Game" | 5:55 |
| Total length: | 61:24 | |
Personnel
editAdopted from jonimitchell.com.[1]
- Joni Mitchell – lead vocals, guitar (6)
- Brandi Carlile – vocals, producer
- Phil Hanseroth – bass, backing vocals
- Tim Hanseroth – guitar, dulcimer, backing vocals
- Jess Wolfe – featured vocals (2), backing vocals
- Holly Laessig – featured vocals (2), backing vocals
- Taylor Goldsmith – guitar, featured vocals (4, 10), backing vocals
- Celisse – guitar, featured vocals (9), backing vocals
- Ben Lusher – piano
- Blake Mills – guitar, backing vocals
- Marcus Mumford – percussion, featured vocals (3), backing vocals
- Josh Neumann – cello
- Allison Russell – clarinet, backing vocals
- Rick Whitfield – guitar, backing vocals
- Matt Chamberlain – additional percussion
Group vocalists
- Wynonna Judd
- Shooter Jennings
- Kyleen King
- SistaStrings
- Monique Ross
- Chauntee Ross
- Jay Carlile
- Marcy Gensic
- Sauchuen Yu
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10] | 115 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] | 64 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[12] | 7 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[13] | 85 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[14] | 6 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] | 75 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 52 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 167 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[18] | 11 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[19] | 9 |
| US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[20] | 40 |
| US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[21] | 11 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[22] | 17 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Joni Mitchell At Newport". jonimitchell.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (July 24, 2022). "Joni Mitchell Gives Rare Surprise Performance at Newport Folk Festival: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ a b Anderson, Carys (November 12, 2022). "Joni Mitchell teases Newport Folk Festival live album". Consequence. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ Powers, Ann (July 25, 2022). "Joni Mitchell sings, steals show with surprise Newport Folk Festival concert". NPR. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (November 10, 2022). "Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live) by Joni Mitchell Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Zimmerman, Lee (July 24, 2023). "Review: Joni Mitchell Shares Magic and Mystique on At Newport". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Boer, Sam (July 27, 2023). "Joni Mitchell at Newport Is Nothing Short of Miraculous". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Currin, Grayson Haver (July 29, 2023). "Joni Mitchell: Joni Mitchell at Newport". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Joni Mitchell feat. The Joni Jam – At Newport" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Joni Mitchell – At Newport" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 31. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of August 2, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Joni Mitchell feat. The Joni Jam – At Newport". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (US Top Rock & Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2024.