Ian Shaw - Drawn to All Things - Scotland On Sunday

Jazz singer Ian Shaw's reworking of the songs of Joni Mitchell is at once referential and quite different. There's an obvious respect for the quality of her music and lyrics in the way he treats her work.
Joni Mitchell's lyrics range from high-flying streams of conciousness to entirely domestic and personal, and Shaw takes great pains to ensure that the words are clearly heard, aided by the orchestrations, for most of which he is responsible.
Whether Shaw's singing is being clean and precise, or freeform and loose-limbed, it's clear he takes his material seriously.
The results can sometimes feel a little too close to the original, but usually are markedly different, aided by his obvious talent and vocal skill.