Kate Stables, Jesca Hoop and Lail Arad have been touring a Joni Mitchell tribute since April 2024. Stables is the frontwoman of English indie folk rockers This Is the Kit. Hoop is an American singer-songwriter with a diverse sound who has been releasing albums for over 15 years. And Arad is a singer-guitarist also from the UK. All three have a history of recording covers prior to this Joni Mitchell tribute project.
To promote the newest tour, the trio have recorded a new EP of Joni Mitchell covers. The first single is “Raised on Robbery.” It was a relatively minor hit for Mitchell in 1974, not even making the US mainstream Top 40. As a Canadian, I was kind of surprised to learn that. Even though it didn’t do that much better here, I have heard the song numerous times. It stands out among her catalogue for its bumpy electric piano intro and Mitchell’s vocal harmonies.
The trio gamely try to imitate Mitchell’s vocals. They do such a good job and it’s not obvious whether this is a cover or outright imitation. Sure, their voices are distinct from Mitchell’s, but the cadence is the same and the backing vocals mostly follow the pattern of the original arrangement, one of its most distinctive traits.
Where the difference is truly apparent is in the musical arrangement. Though there is a solitary opening note that does indeed sound like an electric piano of the kind played in the original song, this is not a full band arrangement. In fact, it’s just a single electric guitar that accompanies the singers, putting the emphasis on their vocals.
It’s an interesting choice as having such a stark arrangement really does put the listener’s focus almost entirely on the voices – which are clearly trying to follow Mitchell’s lead – but it also shows off their performance. Whether or not they’re hewing too close to Joni’s original vocal arrangement, that is the heart of the song and also the most impressive part. Pulling it off is something of a feat.
