Little Hawk said a few good things. The two finest things about Mitchell were (1) that she expressed in a powerful way a whole range of female emotion that essentially captured (and helped shape) a whole generation -- from her first album to "Blue" -- "Blue" is a masterpiece of mood and experience (I would say that it is not just my opinion) and after ("Hejira" is where I get to in this line -- "Amelia" is an astonishing poetic work); and (2) she is one of the great experimenters -- her open tunings and playing and jazz -- not all of which I go for -- are so far beyond what other singer-songwriters do that she is in a category by herself. And she started out, really, when there was nothing like it in women in popular music. (Now Jonis are everywhere).

I don't really understand the diction issue. Vowels, consonants, all there in the right order. She sings clearly enough for me.

yours,

Peter T.