PositiveRolling StoneAs we’ve learned, things are never simple with Dylan, and The Philosophy of Modern Song can be as much of a surprise and puzzlement as his previous books. It’s part music-appreciation class, part podcast-style rant, and as unpredictable, cranky and largely engrossing as the man himself ... He spins evocative, sometimes weird, tone poems about the leading characters in the songs ... Dylan’s on to something about the allure and magic of music ... There\'s a method in the seeming madness here ... The book ends up an homage to a time when vernacular forms like folk, country and blues were the rock-solid foundations of music, rather than the beats, production tricks and techniques, and soundscapes of the last few decades.
David Yaffe
RaveRollingStone.comUntil David Yaffe's Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell, Mitchell had never before cooperated with previous biographers. And based on the interviews she gave Yaffe for his book, the legendary singer-songwriter seems eager to finally spew ... In prose that shifts between chatty, impressionistic and reportorial, Yaffe sympathetically traces the outline of the musician's life... Working his way through her albums, he offers up detailed takes on recording sessions, song tidbits... Still, it's Mitchell's candor and often startling memories that propel the book ... Insane or not, Reckless Daughter looks at Mitchell's life through all sides now.
