Day After Tomorrow

This is Joan Baez' 50 year anniversary recording music and her 24th studio recording. Yes, her voice has aged and mellowed, but I still love her as an alto as much as I did a soprano.Joan Baez and Steve Earle are an interesting combination indeed. This wasn't the match I'd have picked, but they work beautifully together. Earle adds an earthy touch to Baez that fits her deeper, lower voice.Baez and Earle have done a splendid job picking a lineup of songs from the best of today's composers."Requiem", which was written and sung originally by the amazingly talented Eliza Gilkyson, was originally written for the tsunami, but the words reflect the pain we've recently experienced from the hurricanes as well.Of course, there would be a song about Iraq. The title song, "Day After Tomorrow" written by Tom Waits, is one of the strongest narratives of what it's like to be a soldier.You'd think mining songs wouldn't be that topical anymore. "Henry Russell's Lament" which is the story of a trapped miner, will break your heart."Jericho Road" is another winner. It's a minimalist Gospel ballad with a lead and responding chorus that will instill the song in your memory for years to come.My only gripe is at 37 minutes and 10 songs, this CD ends too soon and feels a bit short for me.Rebecca Kyle, September 2008

First I have to say that with the kind of love some people express in their reviews it's better to go into a nunnery. I personally found the album very enjoyable. At 67 she's obviously not going to have the voice she had singing Wagoners' Lad. I particularly enjoyed God is God, Rose of Sharon and Scarlet Tide. Her voice still has the timbre and richness that makes it immediately identifiable. As for the song selections, well people grow and their sometimes their taste change. I think she challenges you to grow in your musical taste as she has grown in hers. Most people probably don't remember when Bob Dylan went 'electric' and the furor that caused. He lost some of the old audience but garnered a completely new one and eventually some of the old fans came back as their musical taste grew. A real musician takes chances with their music. She has done that and while I would still love her to do an old folk album I appreciate where she is now. Hopefully she still has one album left before she retires.

"Day After Tomorrow" is an excellent Baez disc IMHO! Her song selections continue to be powerful. Her voice, while weathered, remains expressive and powerful. Patty Griffin's "Mary" has a lovely melody that Baez embodies completely as she finds inspiration from the example of the mother of Jesus, "Every time the snow drifts, every time the sand shifts, even when the night lifts, she's always there." Eliza Gilkyson wrote two tracks that Baez recorded. "Rose of Sharon" was originally on Eliza's CD Redemption Road. Steve Earle's acoustic guitar compliments Baez's voice that brims with emotion, "Rise up my love & come away, the rain is over & gone, you are the fruit of my darkest day." "Requiem" from Gilkyson's Paradise Hotel is masterfully sequenced after "Mary" as Baez combines the same persona to arrive at a statement of hope, "In the dark night of our soul, bring some comfort to us all." Particularly moving to me is Baez's version of "Henry Russell's Last Words" that introduces the "Mary" image with "Oh how I love you Mary." The track takes me closest to Baez's early folk days with its slow progression & Tim O'Brien's bouzouki giving a quaint and somber feel. "Day After Tomorrow" is a strong set, masterfully compiled & admirably performed. Bravo!

If I could fly I would go to CA to see my 4th Baez concert. Considering Amtrak, a 3-4 day trip from S.W.Fl, she's that good. And this album has some fantastic material showcasing a voice that never seems to quit ( Well,except fo the last Naples concert,where she was practically voiceless due to a virus)

she gently moves me.she is very bold about her faith on this record (yes, maybe a bit more than usual), yet she still questions... it is good. it is growth. it is not a point for any listener to stumble on (and woe to those who shut it off because she mentions god in a positive way!)Musically, she recorded this with Steve in what sounds like a "folk-punk" style of a bit of rough-around-the-edges sounds that totally works and adds edge...I love this record and I am buying it and sending it all around!

I truly love it!

Mellow--came promptly, sweet music, excellent condition.

Her voice is still as good as it was, good album but lost something in its studio recording

The one star review from another person is a little harsh, but I cannot understand why there are so many five star ratings when, to be brutally honest, her voice is nowhere near deserving of anything so complimentary. The guitar playing is wonderful, as it always has been, and at least I have not heard these songs on previous CDs. BUT, the singing is disappointing to put it politely. I bought most of her earlier works and thought she was wonderful, but all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately this applies to a singer who used to be " an achingly pure soprano".

Its a beautiful album with some very nice writing. Joan Baez even though a lot older now still sounds very nice, her voice has aged obviously, but she still sounds quite remarkable which was something i didn't expect having not heard any of her later work until getting this album. Other good points is that the album is well put together and not one song seems out of place also as i said earlier there is a lot of nice writing, even though Joan did not write the songs herself she sings them with as much passion as if she did. I highly recommend this album to anyone who likes her or like Folk music.

I really liked Joan Baez's voice in her early days. (not the folk songs, though - they were very early amateurish productions).Things like Diamonds and Rust, the "Best of" album and the "Best of Vanguard" album show off her voice very well, her choice of material and her singing talents.However, Day After Tomorrow is no good at all. I'm afraid her voice is quite old and weak, and the songs are so slow and mournful.

This is one of those albums with good quality tracks which are performed in a relatively low key fashion. I didn't think much of it at first, but with repeated listening it's grown on me considerably. Several of the songs are very good lyrically and Joan's voice still sounds good after all these years.Dave

Great cd love all the tracks some more than others

Some great new songs, sung only as Joan can, even after years of singing....... brilliant

Great songs from a great artist

...and bought this after seeing her latest concert in the UK. It gives you an alternative side to her repertoire and that voice still shines through. If you are a real fan, you will love it.

Love her music

"Struggente" il termine usato da Wanjiko nella precedente recensione è senz'altro appropriato. Non percepisco però la disperazione. Anzi, direi che in questo album la sofferenza connaturata all'esistenza viene sublimata nella bellezza e nella fede. Nell'ultimo brano, infatti, "Jericho road", sulla via di Jericho si reincontrano tutti i propri cari e tutto quello che si è amato. La potenza della fede!!Il brano più bello comunque è, secondo me, il primo, "God is God", con il bellissimo accompagnamento vocale di Steve Earle, il quale, oltre ad essere il produttore del cd, è pure l'autore di alcune canzoni. Lo voce della Baez non è certo quella della sua giovinezza, eppure come sono affascinanti le voci di questi grandi artisti ormai vecchi. Sebbene abbiano perso potenza e limpidezza ci trasmettono l'anima.

La couverture du livret du laser, superbe, ou le regard aussi heureux qu'ouvert de Joan, squatte le plein air dans une atmosphère odoriférante et sereine et en adéquation parfaite avec les toutes nouvelles créations ou reprises originales offertes. Des grands noms de la compositions, D'Elvis Costello, à Patty Griffin, en passant par Eliza Gilkyson, Thea Gilmore, Diana Jones, Tom Waits, puis pour finir celui qui est en prime le producteur de l'ensemble, Steve Earle, viennent prêter mains fortes ou plus exactement mains cajoleuses apaisantes sur les dix chansons offertes en sucession. Un album (qui suit plus d'une cinquantaine d'autres !) ou l'on se délectent sans interruptions, même furtives, d'un folk splendide, planté à sa racine originel et qui recèle en lui des mélodies parmi les plus zen et limpides, à la trame instrumentale baignée d'une acoustique admirable, en la concrétisation affirmée de guitares sèches, de mandolines, de basses, de dobros, de banjos, puis de batterie en percussions tamisées et j'en passe. S'y trouve même au hasards des titres quelques onces de blues et de country (notamment concernant le premier pour "Henry Russell's last words" et "God is god" pour le suivant) La voix toujours admirable de l'interprète, qui ne force pas est au rivage du clivage général de l'ambiance réconfortante, délassante et impénétrable. C'est la Joan Baez que je préfère, fidèle à son authenticité qu'elle a longuement déployée lors de ses premières années dans le métier. De toutes les manières, ce folk basique (le plus à anoblir !) revendiqué est toujours resté solidement abrité en elle. L'ayant de temps en temps mis entre parenthèse, elle s'y est régulièrement retournée. C'est le cas pour ce "Jour d'après demain", que je conseille à tous les véritables fans de ce style indémodable, car son interprétation, ses compositions, ainsi que l'instrumentation qui l'accompagne sont à l'exact résultat des attentes souhaitables. Certifié disque majuscule à s'activer de se procurer sans la moindre septicité. Indispensable et remarquable dans la continuité... après presque cinquante ans de carrière professionnelle cravachée !

Joan Baez è sempre Joan Baez, unica, voce meravigliosa non scalfita dagli anni. Suona magnificamente la chitarra Folk ed ha un carisma incredibile. Ritengo che questo sia uno dei suoi migliori album.

Joan Baez ist immer noch eine Frau mit außergewöhnlicher Stimme! Sie hat sich im Lauf der Jahre ein wenig verändert, klingt aber immer noch so markant wie eh und je! Die Lieder dieser Cd gehen unter die Haut berühren wie die meisten ihrer Lieder, die ich kenne. Wer Joans Musik mag, wird hiermit glücklich!

Joan Baez's voice still soars

Over the (50!) years, Joan Baez has clearly lost none of her fantastic skills - her voice is as clear as ever. Saw her live in concert Oct 2009 in Bristol. This CD is a great reminder of that superb performance!