The Album: Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark (1973)

In 1973, Joni Mitchell was in the midst of one of the greatest pop music runs of the decade. By that time, the Canadian-turned-temporary-Angelino had already put out Ladies of the Canyon, Blue and For the Roses, establishing her as one of the very few women that the rock establishment of the era would deign to even recognize. But with Court & Spark, Mitchell showcased her abilities beyond just the folk-rock world by minting a pop album that would become a defining statement of the time and her most successful LP of all time.

To talk about Court & Spark, we had in another transplant to L.A.: singer/songwriter Sidibe. Since moving out here 10 years ago, she's steadily raised her profile, especially after the release of her 2014 EPs, Metaphysical and Soul Siren. Alongside the likes of Anita Baker and Sade, Joni has been a longtime influence and inspiration on Sidibe and during our convo, we discussed Mitchell's vocal gifts, her jazz-rock collaborations on Court & Spark plus a tangential discussions on how bagging groceries might help one get discovered.

More on Sidibe

• "Meet Sidibe" (Galore Magazine)
• "Soul starlet Sidibe talks being an independent artist" (Rolling Out)
• Website | Instagram | Twitter

More on Court & Spark

• Counterbalance discussion of the album (Popmatters)
• "The story of Joni Mitchell's jazz-inflected, career-turning Court and Spark" (Ultimate Classic Rock)
• Original 1974 Rolling Stone review

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Court and Spark unless indicated otherwise):

• Help Me
• Sidibe: Unreachable
• People's Parties
• The Same Situation
• Just Like This Train
• Help Me
• Joni Mitchell: Sweet Sucker Dance
• Twisted
• Raised on Robbery
• Help Me
• Sidibe: Love is Stronger Than Pride

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there.

If you're not already subscribed to Heat Rocks in Apple Podcasts, do it here!