Joni Mitchell

I admit to a lifelong lusting after Joni Mitchell, so this third in a series of thematic compilations is honey to the bee. Created as her personal contribution to Saskatchewan’s Centennial celebrations, Saskatoon’s famous daughter has always written from a rich perspective of place and time, wearing her love for her native land on her sleeve — and Songs of a Prairie Girl revolves around the innocence of childhood and the awkwardness of adolescence, all drawn from one of history’s richest back catalogues. At the same time, Joni’s control of space and imagery delivers a strong sense of winter on Canada’s snowy plains. From "Ray’s Dad’s Cadillac” to a symphonic version of "Cherokee Louise,” Joni chronicles the laughs and the tears, the pleasure and the pain. Remixed versions of "Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter” and "Paprika Plains” highlight her abilities as a gifted composer while her knack of surrounding herself with the complimentary artistry of Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Larry Klein, Max Bennett and John Guerin would guarantee her patented lush sound. At the same time, Blue’s "River” remains the epitome of her solo craft, carried through to the cover art. So nice that this artful trailblazer not only hails from Canada — she continues to celebrate it.