There are a few artists who are vastly praised for their songwriting, but whose songs are so singular and personal that no one else can really pull them off. I think Joni Mitchell is one of these, which must be why I found the recent A Tribute to Joni Mitchell album vaguely disappointing. On the other hand, Mitchell's latest studio album her first as the second artist signed to Starbucks' Hear Music label come from deep at the source, Mitchell embodies her songs: the syncopated rhythms, the ethereal jazz overtones, the velvet twists and turns of her singing. On Shine, the lyrics focus on Mitchell's concern for the planet, even including an update of "Big Yellow Taxi," Mitchell is a national treasure, and with luck her Hear Music alliance will bring her songs to a new generation of coffee drinkers.

Producer: Joni Mitchell, Engineer: Dan Marnien.
Studio: Studio Castle Oaks Productions (Calabasas, Calif,),
Mastering: Bernie Grundman/Grundman Mastering (Hollywood).