One CD Features Mitchell's Favorite Songs by Artists Who Inspire Her; The Other is a Compilation of Her Songs as Selected by Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Prince and More

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 2005-- Starbucks Coffee Company today announced the release of two exclusive CDs, both of which were produced by Starbucks Hear Music (TM) in collaboration with Joni Mitchell. Joni Mitchell Artist's Choice (TM) and Joni Mitchell: Selected Songs are exclusively available at Starbucks Company-operated stores in North America.

Starbucks Hear Music's newest CD releases provide unique insight into Mitchell's singular genius:

Joni Mitchell Artist's Choice(TM) consists of eighteen of Mitchell's favorite songs. Featuring song-by-song commentary written by Mitchell, the album provides a revealing glimpse into the artist's personal and aesthetic inspirations, which are as richly diverse as her own musical catalogue. As her celebrated forays into the genre would suggest, jazz (the DeBussy classic "Clare de Lune," Billie Holiday's "Solitude," Miles Davis' "It Never Entered My Mind," and more) figures prominently in Mitchell's selections. Among the album's surprises are Chuck Berry's "Johnny Be Good" and the New Radicals' "You Get What You Give."

Joni Mitchell: Selected Songs is a collection of Mitchell's songs, all of which were selected for inclusion on the album by a broad range of friends and fellow musicians who have been influenced by the legendary artist. Participants include Prince, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, and Chaka Khan. For the first time since Starbucks Hear Music launched its popular Opus(TM) series in February 2001, world renowned artists were asked to choose their favorite song from a fellow musician's catalogue and their picks formed the album.

"By the end of the 20th century it seemed to me that the muse had gone out of music and all that was left was the 'ic,'" Joni Mitchell said. "Nothing sounded genuine or original. Truth and beauty were passe. I got the picture. I quit the business. I volunteered to take part in the Starbucks Hear Music project in order to force myself to review the songs and compositions that, over the course of my life, really got to me. I was about to receive an honorary doctorate in music and I needed to remember what it was that I had once loved about it."

"We are honored to have had the opportunity to team with Joni Mitchell, a true music legend, to offer our customers, who are passionate music fans, the chance to learn more about her musical inspirations and the impact she's had on other world-renowned musicians," said Ken Lombard, president, Starbucks Entertainment. "We are delighted to be able to offer our customers unique perspective on Joni Mitchell's talent and musical legacy."

Joni Mitchell: Selected Songs is a musical testament to the impact Mitchell has had on other world-renowned singers and songwriters:

About his choice of "Free Man in Paris" (from the album Court and Spark), Bob Dylan says "I always liked this song because I'd been to Paris and understood what being a free man there was all about ... I'm not so sure that the meaning I heard in the song was what Joni intended, but I couldn't stop listening to it."

"It's nearly impossible to choose between the intimate, emotionally raw songs of Blue and the novelist's eye for details in a portrait song such as 'Shades of Scarlet Conquering,'" explains Elvis Costello. "I chose 'For The Roses' (from the album of the same name) for inclusion on Joni Mitchell: Selected Songs because it is somewhere in between -- there are tiny details of a lover's infidelity, but the musical tone is also confidential and it sets up a bold and unflinching look at an artist trying to detach from the deceits of fame."

To purchase either CD, go to a Starbucks Company-operated store in North America, or visit: www.starbucks.com or www.hearmusic.com.

About Starbucks Hear Music's Artist's Choice(TM) Series

Joni Mitchell Artist's Choice(TM) is the newest release from Starbucks Hear Music's acclaimed Artist's Choice(TM) series, which also includes compilations from Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crow, Ray Charles, Rolling Stones, Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan, Emmylou Harris, Yo Yo Ma and others.

About Starbucks Hear Music's Opus(TM) Series

Joni Mitchell: Selected Songs is a new spin on another popular Starbucks Hear Music album series, Opus, in which Starbucks Hear Music compiles great songs by essential artists including Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and The Beach Boys.

About Starbucks Hear Music

Founded in 1990, and acquired by Starbucks Coffee Company in 1999, Starbucks Hear Music is the voice of music at Starbucks. Starbucks Hear Music is dedicated to creating a new and convenient way for consumers to discover, experience and acquire all genres of great music through its unique editorial voice, CD compilations, and music programming for Starbucks coffeehouses worldwide, as well as its innovative partnerships with other music labels to produce, market and distribute both exclusive and non-exclusive music. In 2004, Starbucks Hear Music launched a 24-hour digital music channel with XM Satellite Radio (XM Channel 75), the Starbucks Hear Music(TM) Coffeehouse in Santa Monica where customers can select from over 15,000 CDs or burn their own custom mixes, and the Starbucks Hear Music(TM) media bars, a service that offers custom CD burning at select Starbucks retail locations in Seattle and Austin. Starbucks Hear Music(TM) CDs are featured at Hear Music and Starbucks retail locations, as well as www.starbucks.com and www.hearmusic.com.