Songs of Shadow, Songs of Light

4-STARS - Among the steady trickle of quality Joni Mitchell tributes - Rachel Z., Ian Shaw, Tierney Sutton, Herbie Hancock - Antonioli ranks high, with thoughtful, close-to-the-bone, folk-rocky interpretations in an even-tempered, clear-minded talk-it-through delivery, sometimes in Mitchell-like head-tones, often coiling the melody down that dark staircase. An in-balance quintet, charted clearly by pianist Matt Clark, casts chiaroscuro reflections on Antonioli's shaded mystery; hear Dave MacNab's guitar shadow her sweetly on "Rainy Night House," Sheldon Brown's five-clarinet overdub chorus on "Barangrill" and metrical Balkanization of "Eastern Rain." Antonioli runs Mitchell's cosmic scope from heady murmurs on "Both Sides Now" to tasteful touches of the arcane (throat voicings, masculine echolalia). Ubiquitous Theo Bleckmann welcomes us with a cameo on "People's Parties." Grows on you.