| Joan Baez | Primary Artist, Guitar |
| Steve Earle | Guitar, Harmonium, Background Vocals, Tamboura, Vocal Harmony |
| Viktor Krauss | Bass |
| Kenny Malone | Percussion, Drums |
| Tim O'Brien | Bouzouki, Fiddle, Mandolin, Background Vocals |
| Darrell Scott | Bouzouki, Dobro, Guitar, Background Vocals, Hawaiian Guitar, Banjolin, Guitar (Resonator) |
| Thea Gilmore | Vocals, Vocal Harmony |
| Ray Kennedy | Tambourine |
| Siobhan Maher-Kennedy | Vocal Harmony |
| Eliza Gilkyson | Composer |
| Elvis Costello | Composer |
| Steve Earle | Producer |
| Tom Waits | Composer |
| Kathleen Brennan | Composer |
| Greg Calbi | Mastering |
| Patty Griffin | Composer |
| Norman Moore | Art Direction |
| Diana Jones | Composer |
| Thea Gilmore | Composer |
| Mike Cave | Engineer |
| Ray Kennedy | Engineer |
Anonymous
Posted October 1, 2010
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
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 1, 2010
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 t
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Posted February 17, 2009
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Posted March 19, 2009
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Posted February 20, 2010
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Editorial Reviews
All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann
Having recorded Steve Earle's "Christmas in Washington" on her last studio album, 2003's Dark Chords on a Big Guitar, and his "Jerusalem" on her 2005 live album, Bowery Songs, and toured with him in between, Joan Baez has turned to Earle as the producer of her 24th studio album, Day After Tomorrow; he also contributes three of the ten songs, two of them, "God Is God" and "I Am a Wanderer," specially written. Earle seems to have taken as his assignment the goal of creating a modern Joan Baez album that is in the tradition of her great albums of the 1960s. First, he assembled a group of acoustic musicians in Nashville, anchored by multi-instrumental string players Tim ...