THIS ALBUM was a personal project for Joni - a tribute to Charles Mingus, her black musician friend who died in Mexico this year and whose voice is heard between tracks which he composed.

Joni's warbling tones dip and soar through the lyrics, revealing an older, more thoughtful and sometimes rueful singer, someone who has matured a lot since her popular numbers like "Big Yellow Taxi" took off in the Woodstock era.

Most of the music has a bluesy quality - put there no doubt by Mingus — and her songs, as ever, are inward looking but constructive.

Especially good are "Sweet Sucker Dance" and "Dry Cleaner From Des Moines", which changes to a quick, chirpy tempo from the slower, reflecting timing of those before it.

Each song is introduced with some words from Mingus and the whole album fits together well complete in itself and worth a permanent place in musical history.