Joni Mitchell - Shine

Shine is the nineteenth studio album by Canadian artist and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, originally released in September 2007 via Hear Music.

Shine marked the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter’s first collection of original material in nearly a decade (since Taming The Tiger in 1998), and came as a welcome surprise to the artist’s fans, following her well-publicized break with the music business at the turn of the millennium.

Described by Mitchell to be “as serious a work as I’ve ever done,” Shine was inspired by the environmental, social and political turmoil which plagued the era of the Iraq War. The ten tracks on the album echo Mitchell’s pensive mood; reflective lyrics and beautiful, often-minimalist, piano-driven melodies paint a sombre, yet hopeful picture.

Highlights include the instrumental opener, “One Week Last Summer”, featuring the versatile multi-instrumentalist Bob Sheppard on soprano saxophone; the epic “Night Of The Iguana”, loosely based on John Huston’s 1964 film; the title track, featuring an appearance by long-time friend James Taylor on guitar; Mitchell’s revisit to “Big Yellow Taxi”, which feels eerily prophetic 50 years after its debut, and “If I Had A Heart”, which the New York Times described as “one of the most haunting melodies she has ever written.”

The album debuted at #14 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, making it her highest charting album since Hejira (1976). The album reached #36 on the UK and #71 on the UK albums charts.

This album was released via the “independent” record label Hear Music, founded by Starbucks and Concord Music, with first high profile artist signing being Paul McCartney and soon after that, Joni Mitchell.

This album is being released on vinyl for the very first time in 2020.

This album is on 180 gram heavyweight black vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve, pressed in the US via Craft Recordings.