Pitchfork

Photo by Jay Blakesberg

Way back in January (January 3, to be precise), we told you about this craazy Joni Mitchell tribute album featuring Sufjan Stevens, Björk, Prince, and many more. But all we knew then was that it was coming out sometime this spring.

Now, Nonesuch has announced a drop date for A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, and it's April 24. In addition to the aforementioned favorites, Caetano Veloso, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, and Sarah McLachlan all attempt to undo the foul injustice committed upon Joni's legacy by the Counting Crows featuring Michelle Branch, or Vanessa Carlton, or whoever that was.

While a tribute album might suggest Joni has slowed down or something, that's pretty much diametrically opposed to the reality here. "I'm doing the work of four 20-year-olds," Mitchell boasted to the New York Times last week. "I've never worked so hard in my life."

The Times also reports that Joni, after a ten year hiatus, has recorded enough songs for a new album, to be titled either Strange Birds of Appetite or If. And she's got a ballet on the way. A longtime dancer herself, Joni collaborated with Jean Grand-Maître and Canada's Alberta Ballet to create The Fiddle and the Drum. The show opens February 8 in Calgary (as part of the Alberta Ballet's "Dancing Joni" program) and features a bunch of the lady's music, including two brand new songs: "If" and "If I Had a Heart, I'd Cry". Learn more here.

Lord hopes it will be better than that Dylan musical.