Joni was arguably saving the best till the last!
The Canadian singer-songwriter famously left the music business in 2002 so it was a welcome surprise when she released the album Shine in 2007.
It was an independent release because she swore that no record company would ever make any more money off one of her releases. On her website she says…
The record labels are criminally insane, ugly, screwed up, crooked, uncreative, selfish
And what a swansong album it was!
All the tracks are consistently up to Joni standards but the title song, Shine, is her masterpiece (and remember, she has many).
To say it details everything that is wrong with the World and says just 'shine' on it is a bit simplistic. There is hope too.
Shine on a hopeful girl In a dreamy dress
Joni appeared at Newport Folk Festival in 2022 and I for one would love to hear another studio album from her. In the meantime please accept Ai generated voices singing Shine meant as a respectful roll of the dice to her legacy.