At the Riverboat for a two-week stand is Joni Mitchell accompanying herself on guitar.

Miss Mitchell started out here as a young folksinger a little more than two years ago. She now lives and works out of New York, and spends most of her time working in the U.S.

She returned to town last night as a fully-blossomed woman with a strong clear voice, and a rash of songs that reflect her growth. In a way it's sad, for no longer is she the little girl folksinger.

She writes all of the songs she sings in a set and her new numbers reflect introspective images perceived with a now experienced and knowing eye. She has matured in all ways.

This growing, though, has done nothing to detract from the loveliness of Joni Mitchell. She is pretty, and she sings pretty, and some of her lyrics are very personal.

When she sings she draws you into her song, and into the experience within that song, and you get caught up with the emotion in it. So much of her is in the song that you begin to share the experience with her, and before you know it she's got you. The communication is riveting.

She is truly a unique and fresh artist.