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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stupendous, 7 Sep 2008
I put this on my iPod as soon as I was able to lay my hands on a review copy a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I have listened to it almost every day, and never felt inclined to skip a single track. I've been a fan of Joan Baez's ever since, as a teenager, I discovered some of her early Vanguard recordings. But I haven't felt this way about a Baez album for at least three decades. The review below was written for The Australian newspaper:
It has been quite a while since the ethereal soprano that thrilled Joan Baez's early audiences made way for an earthier alto, and her voice has mellowed further over the decades. It remains a captivating instrument, but on studio recordings during the past couple of decades it has invariably been mixed too low and, as a result, overwhelmed by the orchestration. Day After Tomorrow demonstrates the folly of that technique: here the vocals are accorded the primacy they deserve and complemented by exquisitely balanced acoustic accompaniment. Add to that the most sublime bunch of songs to have graced a Baez disc since the mid-1970s, and the result is an outstanding addition to her oeuvre. The achievement can be credited in part to Steve Earle, who not only produced the album but contributed 30 per cent of the songs, including the opening and closing tracks, God is God and Jericho Road. They are both formidable songs in the vein of Christmas in Washington, but neither of them is quite as poignant as the gently anti-war title track, penned by Tom Waits, and Baez's take on Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett's Scarlet Tide is equally arresting. She has consistently been supportive of younger songwriters (including B. Dylan in the days when he was a complete unknown and she had already graced the cover of Time magazine), and in this instance has included a couple of songs by Eliza Gilkyson (Rose of Sharon and Requiem) that are redolent of the Child ballads that once constituted the core of Baez's repertoire, as well as one by Thea Gilmore (The Lower Road). The Bush administration's outrages have rekindled Baez's activism, and this may be her most socially conscious disc since the `80s, but it takes the path of subtle lamentation rather than strident sloganeering. At barely 37 minutes, the album is arguably too fleeting a pleasure, but its contents unquestionably fall in the category of diamonds, not rust.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Joan Baez heads home on the "DAY AFTER TOMORROW"., 31 Aug 2008
Joan appears to be very much at home in a musical, spiritual, and political sense on this album, the 24th studio recording of her now 50 year long career. This collection of 10 songs provides much for the head & heart to think and feel.
With the use of only acoustic instruments, the album provides an echo of Joan's early folk records. The difference in this record is how diverse the ensemble of instruments is: guitar, mandolin, Hawaiian guitar, resonator guitar, bouzouki, harmonium, tamboura, bass, drums, tambourine, fiddle, Dobro, banjolin, and percussion. The musical accompaniment provided by Steve Earle (also producer, & harmony vocals), Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott, Viktor Krauss, and Kenny Malone, is one of the many highlights of this album.
The songs' timeless lyrics place it among Joan's most folk / Americana oriented albums. The album contains a strong spiritual thread, a topic Joan has touched upon from her earliest recordings. The songs have been chosen from several different brilliant writers, including Patty Griffin, Tom Waits / Kathleen Brennan, Thea Gilmore, Eliza Gilkyson, Elvis Costello / T-Bone Burnett, Diana Jones, and Steve Earle himself. It is amazing how Joan & company pull the work of such a diverse group together so beautifully.
There are political themes touched upon in this record, including anti-war sentiment. The topic is explored quite movingly, less directly you might say than on Joan's earlier albums, through the timeless (and timely) masterpiece compositions "Scarlet Tide", and the album's title song "Day After Tomorrow". [Joan sings this alone, with just herself on guitar, making the lyrics even more heart-wrenching;]
Throughout the songs, Joan becomes a cast of personas in search of hope, happiness, and home. [Joan appears to be quite happy herself in the stunning CD booklet photos.]
"God is God" has the listener contemplating what it really means to be a believer.
In "Rose of Sharon" the narrator finds happiness in the arms of a lover.
In "Scarlet Tide" there is still a hopeful determination that we will rise above the devastation of war. The young soldier writing home in "Day After Tomorrow" (who very well may be a female soldier in this non-gender specific song) yearns for home and the small pleasures of "shoveling snow and raking leaves", and dreams each night of holding the loved one being written to. It is a very moving and empathetic rendition of this song.
A miner facing sure death in "Henry Russell's Last Words" ultimately finds happiness and peace through love for his spouse & family, and a saved soul.
In "I am a Wanderer" there is still hope among various characters facing great obstacles in their lives. But, perhaps they are really us, and us them, and realizing that may be the genesis of that hope, and ultimately the action that will actually change their life circumstances. This song was written the night before one of the recording sessions. One cannot help but wonder how much of Joan and Steve's lives are reflected in its caring concern for those less fortunate.
"Mary" is perhaps the most fascinating song lyric-wise on the album. I imagine the narrator walking through a museum viewing the various paintings and sculptures in an exhibit about the biblical "Mary", leading to a contemplation on her spiritual as well as worldlier powers.
In "Requiem", a prayerful song, Mary is again addressed, being asked to bring hope and happiness to those who have lost their homes and loved ones. It is quite a moving song, originally written about the Tsunami survivors, taking on new meaning with the Katrina tragedy. But, it is also quite universal in that many of us, to one degree or another, have had to face a "dark night of the soul". We may have found ourselves as those "shattered dreamers", with broken hearts that needed to be made whole. Joan's voice is especially effective on this mournful plea of a song.
In "Lower Road" the "peaceful released" protagonist keeps "rolling on", having had their "part to play" (in life), and now "going home" (an afterlife perhaps).The song says that "we keep rolling on `cause for every midnight hour there's always a rising sun".
With the closing song Joan and ensemble use only hand claps as they walk down "Jericho Road" towards the end of the album's spiritual journey. It may be describing the way our own life's journey will end someday.
This well-produced album combines the talents of many into a beautiful & moving composition. The combination of Joan's versatile & touching vocal interpretation, well-written songs, and deft musicianship, provides a soundtrack to help "illuminate the path where we are going". That place may very well be home.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb vintage Baez, 16 Dec 2008
Joan Baez had come out with 10 new songs (at least new to me). Each one is a gem with a charming melody and meaningful lyrics. The mood of the album is reflective and mystical, religious in places. If you love all the old Joan Baez favourites and appreciate her voice, you'll probably like this as much as I do. My only criticism of this album is that it's a little short (only about 37 minutes overall) but the quality makes up for the lack of quantity. Strongly recommended.
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