Artist: Joan Baez
Album: Joan Baez
Year: 1960
Joan Baez of course is well-known for being part of the political folk movement of the 1960's, especially once she teamed up with Bob Dylan. On this self-titled album, she plays it straight, offering up a strong collection of traditional folk songs. And by traditional, I mean super old-timey, old-world stuff. Highlights are "Silver Dagger," "Fare Thee Well," and "House of the Rising Sun," which would later be popularized by The Animals.
I liked this album, and I can see how Joan Baez was very popular in her day. She had a strong, assertive, somewhat haunting, yet still feminine voice. Myself, I could take it or leave it. My favorite female vocalists are a little wispier, a little more cool and detached. Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins fame, Rachel Goswell of Slowdive/Mojave 3 pseudo-fame, Mary Lorson of Madder Rose/Saint Low non-fame, Karen Peris of the Innocence Mission, Antje Duvekot, Anais Mitchell...these are the kinds of female vocalists I prefer. Baez has a little too much adornment to her style for my liking. I found that as the album went along, there was little variation in the songs and little variation in her voice, so it got a tad stale.
I'd totally listen to this again. I haven't looked ahead in the book to see if Joanie shows up again, but I hope she does. I hope next time, the material is a little more varied and her voice is a just a hair less folky and a hair more poppy. Based on this debut, I've gotta hope this lady has a truly classic album in her. Guess I'll wait and see how it plays out...
Rating: Worth a listen
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