Joni Mitchell’s evolution was quick and remarkable, as she dropped an album a year from 1968 through 1972, each building on the strengths of the last. Her third album, 1970’s Ladies of the Canyon, was quite a leap.

Following the acoustic guitar showcases of her first two releases, Ladies of the Canyon saw Mitchell switch to piano on many of its tracks, with excellent results. She also introduced strings, woodwinds and horns to the mix, and included instrumental stretches that broke up the verse-chorus pattern of her earlier work.

The second half of Ladies of the Canyon features three of Mitchell’s biggest hits, each showcasing a very different aspect of her songwriting. The almost avant garde ‘Woodstock’ gives way to the playful pop of ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ before wrapping with the earnest folksiness of ‘The Circle Game.’

But the hits are the least of this album’s pleasures. Every song here is richly realized. Opener ‘Morning Morgantown’ is a sweet celebration of small town life, ‘For Free’ explores the emptiness of stardom, the title track introduces a trio of Mitchell’s Laurel Canyon friends, ‘Blue Boy’ paints a devastating portrait of a woman in a loveless relationship.

This was the first Mitchell album so far that grabbed me upon my first listen. I haven’t heard Ladies of the Canyon touted as one of her best releases, but so far it’s at the top of my (admittedly short) list.

Today’s SOTD, ‘Conversation,’ is another great example of the album’s storytelling, depicting the classic scenario of being in love with a friend who’s dating somebody rotten. Taylor Swift would mine this territory 40 years later in ‘You Belong With Me.’