Search - Joan Baez :: Blowin Away

Solid collection

C. E. A. Esq | London | 09/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I agree that this is not the best starting point for a new Joan Baez fan - it isn't characteristic of her overall sound. But at its best, it's wonderful. The Altar Boy and the Thief, Luba the Baroness, and A Heartfelt Line or Two are heart-rending and beautiful songs, and her voice is in great shape (I've always felt that her voice was at its strongest in the seventies and eighties - for me it was too shrill in the sixties).

"

Demonstration of Joan's versatility

J. L. Hodges | Tulsa, OK United States | 06/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD ably demonstrates Joan's versatility in the wide range of genres in which she sings. From Stevie Wonder's "Miracles" and its uplifting keyboard dance, to a jazzy number penned by Stevie Winwood and Jim Capaldi during their Traffic days - "Many a Mile to Freedom" and on to the self-penned, almost hip-hop "Time Rag", which is a recounting of her love/hate relationship with the press, Baez takes that superb voice of hers out for a grand spin.







Her early albums relied on her impeccable flair for interpreting traditional folk songs with her five-octave voice while "Blowin' Away" shows what she can do with more contemporary music. Actually, this CD is a buffet in which almost anyone could find something to enjoy. Baez more than ably wrings great emotion out of the Julie London classic, "Cry Me a River", which she explores using the lower registers of her voice then soaring with the anthem-like "Sailing" written by Gavin Sutherland.







Of particular note is "Luba, the Baroness", another Baez original, recounting her relationship with an interesting family she met in France many years ago. It is a fascinating slice of life look at an unusual family that reveals her ability as a songwriter adept at unusual melodies. Another Baez original is her poetic nod to a gay mating dance in "Altar Boy and the Thief", with lines such as,



"Finely plucked eyebrows and skin of satin



Smiling seductive and endlessly Latin



Olympic body on dancing feet



Perfume thickening the air like heat", she disproves Dylan's claim that her "poetry is lousy."







While a casual glance at the menu or a first listening might suggest this is merely a grab bag of songs she found appealing, further listening will confirm that Baez is showing us the versatility and diversity of the human experience. And doing so with élan and sometimes a snappy beat!



"