Joni Mitchell: A Tribute

I thought there was a Joni Mitchell thread somewhere, but google didn't uncover it. And since it's a new album, it probably deserves it's own album. Anyone heard this yet?

Sufjan Stevens - Free Man in Paris: So bad, it actually makes me completely reevaluate whether I like Sufjan Stevens. I think he scrapes by, but barely. This is a horrific cover - and deserves as much disparagement as possible.

Prince - A Case of You: Whoever told me earlier last year that Prince did great versions of Joni was OTM. It's odd enough to be Prince and faithful enough to be a cover. It's the perfect cover - it changes the song just enough to become a new entity, but it's still a "free lunch" because of the original (contrast to Sufjan's cover).

Sarah McLachlan - Blue: I hate to say it, because I generally dislike McLachlan's stuff, but having her do Blue (Joni's most downer song on Blue and maybe in her entire discography?) was really inspired. It's fitfully sad, and just as mournful as the original. The only problem is that the layered voices and chimes in the background don't really distinguish it enough. It's fairly true to the original.

Annie Lennox - Ladies of the Canyon: Also surprisingly good. More bombastic than the original, and it fits the song well. A nice spin.

James Taylor - River: I've got a bootleg where he sings this song with Joni, and so I thought I knew what to expect. But it's really such a lovely tribute to Joni, and you really hear the tenderness in his voice. There's something faintly nostalgic and very warm about his cover. It's the perfect ending to the album, and more than anything I've ever heard/read it communicates James love for Joni. Maybe the best (most important?) thing on the album.