Wild Things Run Fast

by Steve Schick
California Aggie
February 4, 1983

Without a doubt, Joni Mitchell's latest is well worth the wait. Wild Things Run Fast is Mitchell's strongest album in years. Her clean, confident vocals sound vibrantly fresh and eternally youthful. Mitchell's music matches her cool, dynamic vocals. She arrives at a pleasurable blend of percussion, guitars, bass, keyboards and sax - but never too much. Synthesizer touches modernize the album, but fortunately, unlike so many other artists, Mitchell avoids a surfeit of electronic sounds. Her music is rich, full and musically intricate. She offers a wide variety of styles ranging from smooth melodic "pop" to cool jazz adventures and slim rockers. As usual, Mitchell's lyrics read as well-thought-out poetry. She paints pictures of sky blue dreamers, ebbing love affairs and offers wistful romantic advice. "Moon at the Window" reads beautifully. "People don't know how to love/They taste it and toss it/They turn it off and on/Like a bathtub faucet/Oh sometimes the light/Can be so hard to find/At least the moon at the window/The thieves left that behind." Mitchell's careful artistry make her an uncommon asset in a world of insipid top-40 clichés.


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