Search - Joan Baez :: Dark Chords on a Big Guitar

Probably my favorite Baez

R. Kyle | USA | 01/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My only complaint is recording quality. The selection of music and Baez's voice and arrangements is wonderful. This is a more rocked-out version of Baez than we are used to.



Among my favorites are "Sleeper" the opening song, a sensuous tale of lovers, "Caleb Meyer" a tale of a feisty woman fighting off a would-be rapist:



Caleb Meyer your ghost is goin

To wear those rattlin chains

WHen I go to sleep at night

Don't you call my name



I've been a fan of Baez for years and this is something of a departure from what you'll normally hear, but I think an enjoyable listen. Her voice and choice of music is always worthwhile."

This Sleeper Is A Keeper!

Mark D. Prouse | Riverdale (Bronx), NY | 09/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Some of you old folkies out there need to get over the past and join the present. Those who complained about the heavy instrumentation and distortion on this recording must still be pining for the "good old days" of "Kumbaya" and "Blowin' In The Wind!" News flash: the moments of distortion were intentional, and Ms. Baez has joined the 21st century! I don't mean to knock the ancient stuff; I revisit the old favorites fairly frequently, but a vital, engaged artist continues to evolve, and Joan has been doing this throughout her career. A concert I attended in Poughkeepsie in the fall of 2004 (my fifth time, since 1982, to see her live), found Joan still very much in command of her artistic powers, and she performed some of the tracks from "Dark Chords On A Big Guitar" with the finest, rockin'est band she has ever worked with. This was part of a tour from which an upcoming live album ("Bowery Songs") was recorded, and I can't wait to hear it, since it will include Joan's rendition of Dylan's "Seven Curses," one of the highlights of the performance I saw. But back to "Dark Chords...," and to echo what another reviewer noted: what Joan's voice has lost in range and purity has been more than made up for with an expanded palette of colors and a deepening expressiveness, and it perfectly suits the modern sounds she is now experimenting with. Although I do miss Joan's own writing (which, I think, she under-values), I'm impressed with her choice of material here. Greg Brown's lovely "Sleeper" grabbed my attention immediately, and the album just gets better and better from there on. To hear Joan performing great songs by the likes of Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant and Steve Earle is no revelation to those of us who have long admired Joan's ability to adapt to the times, but beyond that, she is better than ever at giving the work of others added dimension, stamping all of these songs with her own, unique mark (while, I should add, preserving the qualities that make the original creations so wonderful -- no excessive styling or annoying departures from the melody, like so many of today's female singers tend to do). My personal favorite is Josh Ritter's "Wings," as gorgeous and haunting as anything Baez has ever recorded. There are some big surprises here, too, with Joan getting down and dirty on "Elvis Presley Blues," and kicking up some dust on "Caleb Meyer," both of which were written by Gillian Welch and Henry Rawlings. No serious contemporary folk, roots music, or alt. country fan should be without "Dark Chords On A Big Guitar." Right on, Joan!!!"

Joan Baez Shines Brightly in "DARK CHORDS ON A BIG GUITAR"

William S. Rothstein | St. Petersburg, FL USA | 03/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Joan Baez is many things to many people-a political activist, a pacifist, a writer, a musician. But, most of all, Joan Baez is a singer of rare and unequalled talent. While some of her offerings have only alluded to the mesmerizing depth of her powerful voice, she is in full force on her latest work "DARK CHORDS ON A BIG GUITAR". Gone is the lilting vibratto that jettisoned her to fame in the 1960's, but do not lament the loss, for it has been replaced with a richer, more mature tone that wraps itself around the music and adds new dimensions to some familiar songs. The album opens with Greg Brown's "Sleeper", an insistant and understated work that gets under your skin and requires a second and third listen. Ms. Baez, the consummate artist, has once again surrounded herself with excellent writers and wonderful songs, such as Ryan Adams' "In My Time Of Need", Greg Brown's "Rexroth's Daughter" and the quirky but winning "Rosemary Moore" by Caitlin Cary. Stand outs on this brilliant CD are numerous, and include the amazing "Motherland", written by Natalie Merchant but utterly transformed into an ethereal work of art by the perfect phrasing and tone that Ms. Baez imparts to it. Another favorite is one that I've never cared for in the past. I've always considered Steve Earle's "Christmas in Washington" to be a rough-edged, uneasy work, yet in the hands of the master, it is transformed into quietly sad and biting satire. Brilliant is the word that comes to mind when hearing the cut "Wings", written by Josh Ritter. This hypnotic work is one of the finest Baez recordings in the past decade and will undoubtedly become a concert classic. In "Wings", Joan Baez sings "I said inside this gilded cage, a songbird always looks so plain, well it's my home, last night I dreamed I grew wings...". There is nothing "plain" about this work. In fact, on DARK CHORDS ON A BIG GUITAR" Joan Baez soars on wings of gold.

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