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Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark reviewed – archive, March 1974

22 March 1974: The album shows how rock is growing up, gracefully, maturely, and dealing with the concern of a now slightly ageing generation

What sets her work aside from the egocentric tedium that such a style can produce is both the sheer quality of her writing and performing, and her ability to deal with private thoughts in a public way, make personal experiences of general significance. Down To You starts with the observation that “everything comes and goes, marked by lovers and styles of clothes” and moves off into a stark and evocatively understated impression of brief midnight passion followed by equally bleak non-communication with the world in general the next morning. Her musicianship is as fine as her lyrics; her voice has lightness as well as intensity and copes admirably with the musical gymnastics of her writing, Her piano playing backs it up well, as do the predictably famous session musicians (everyone from Robbie Robertson to Jose Feliciano).

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