2012 wasn't a very flashy year for new music, but what it did spawn were well-wrought, thoughtful and multi-layered releases that balanced introspection with muscle, unafraid to maybe make a few missteps but unabashed in their verve for making good, solid music.
Backed by a band of such high caliber, watching Mitchell do this while on stage is a pleasure not to be missed– because if her career is any indication, this may be your only chance to catch these songs in these distinct forms before they transform into entirely new beings.
Mitchell brings an attentive and critical focus, measured with a slight whimsy and caprice that rounds the oftentimes harsh edge of folk music, and delivers a brilliant, entirely cohesive and utterly striking work of art in Young Man In America.