her first album

Joni Mitchell (1968)
- Already a well-known songwriter with hits for Judy Collins and Tom Rush, she declined to record any of her familiar songs on her debut album, instead releasing sparely arranged, folky songs that either hit the mark dead on ("Cactus Tree") or wander off into obscurity ("The Pirate of Penance"). (DBW)
- One of her most musically challenging efforts, with a bunch of complex, moody, ultra-serious tunes that are hard to follow ("Nathan La Franeer") and often go on too long ("The Dawntreader") But everything that makes her early period so great is here to be heard: incredibly clear and powerful vocals; elaborate acoustic guitar picking; heavy lyrics with tons of metaphors; and a totally pure art-for-art's-sake attitude ("I Had A King"). "Cactus Tree" is really memorable, the flamenco-like "Penance" has a chilling melody and a fascinating second vocal part, there are no embarassments, and although the minor works wouldn't have made it onto Blue, they're enjoyable (the lush, romantic "Michael From Mountains"; "Sisotowbell Lane"; the oddly-timed "Song To A Seagull"). Everything's solo with guitar apart from the pop-flavored "Night In The City," which gets Simon & Garfunkel-like bass, harpsichord-like piano, and counterpoint harmonies. Also known as Song To A Seagull, this was "produced" by David Crosby, meaning that he got her into the studio and let her loose. (JA)

from http://www.warr.org/joni.html#Joni