My aim is to just be able to play, sing and enjoy - no aspirations to perform etc.
Then you have already succeeded. ?
I quickly found that I can't really keep quiet while playing songs I like
You are very,
very lucky in that. The single most effective way to improve is by doing. As long as you keep on singing you will keep on improving. I
wish I could sing and just enjoy it - as a result I don't sing much and I don't improve (trying to fix that now).
Even if you fall short on the technical or raw talent side, given the willingness to actually sing, there is no obstacle to you becoming a great singer - you just have to learn to use what you already have effectively, and the more you push your boundaries, the better you will become.
One thing I would say from your recordings is that you will have to be careful in your selection of songs at first - try find songs that suit your voice better and are in your natural mid to lower range (and Joni Mitchell songs are ambitious for
anyone). You'll know them by how naturally comfortable they are to sing. As you get better with singing them, they'll give you a grounded place to start and then you can expand into the more difficult songs.
