Album of the Day

Nearing the end of her Asylum contract, Joni Mitchell felt the freedom to stretch a bit musically, and the double album DON JUAN'S RECKLESS DAUGHTER was the result. Her love affair with jazz continues on the 1977 collection, which features four members of Weather Report as backing musicians (bassist Jaco Pastorius' playing is simply sublime). But Chaka Khan and Eagle Glenn Frey are also guests – this is a set that's impossible to pigeonhole, particularly when you hit the percussion-driven “The Tenth World” or the side-long “Paprika Plains,” a spoken piece with improvised piano and orchestration. Mitchell's lyrical insight remains strong, and if it's not the usual gateway to the legendary singer-songwriter's work, DON JUAN'S RECKLESS DAUGHTER is a fan favorite for good reason.