Joan Baez

Amazing voice, but this all just sounds the same.

This is folk music distilled down to its base form, just a single guitar and vocals, both by the same person. No offense to the fans of old folk music, but this was not an enjoyable listen for me. Baez’s voice is nice enough, but this was 45 minutes of the same song over again, just with different lyrics. Exactly zero songs are original compositions, which is always a demerit, just a bunch of very old traditional folk tunes. It’s a 2/5 for me.

On my morning off from work, this album is just not doing anything to help me enjoy it. I had to keep checking if the next song had started.

Ah, beautiful. It's a great classic folk album, some of the finest I've heard to be honest. Joan has a great voice and her arrangements of these traditional songs are lovely to listen to. I don't know what else to say, aside from my favorite track being Mary Hamilton.

I'm a fan of trad music, so I knew a number of the tracks on here and there are many other recorded versions of most of these songs And the problem with Baez's version is that the vocal is, generally, just too damned "perfect". Historically I understand why – just look at some of the other albums from the same time period that are on this list – and this is clearly a really important album from the development of the folk revival. And for a 19 year old recording this in 1960 in pretty primitive conditions, it's still a half decent album But with some guts in the vocals – like there are on El Preso Número Nueve – this could be so much better to modern ears As I say, I get why this was recorded the way it was. And I really like the simple guitar backing – a major label would probably have wanted to put an orchestra on this which would have made it unlistenable. But the vocal is just too choral with such perfect enunciation. And that spoils it enough for me to mean that I don't really want to listen to it again There is probably a way to put together a playlist of all the songs on this album which is made up a "better" recordings of them. I'd start with The Men They Couldn't Hang's version of Silver Dagger. Baez would have one track in that playlist, El Preso Número Nueve. Because that's when she has soul and roots, which is, for me, what folk music, trad music, is all about

5/10

No thanks.

sounds like a mosquito whenever she does vibrato

Debut responsable del revival folk. Joan es una de las mujeres clave en la música, como Dolly Parton en el country o Tina Turner en el soul. Este debut no es su mejor disco, Diamonds & Rust del 75, pero sí tiene todo lo que la hizo esencial. Tan bueno como el segundo o su directo del 62. Una de las primeras artistas americanas en publicar un disco en español (todos los temas en castellano menos uno en catalán) con Gracias a la vida (1975) que contenía clásicos como No nos moverán, La llorona y sobre todo una canción tan buena como Esquinazo del guerrillero De este debut, destacan el rescate de House of the Rising Sun, que poco tiene que ver con las versiones de Nina Simone y sobre todo la de los Animals.

I've never been a fan of her operatic soprano style of singing folk music, nor the sparse arrangements. But, while not a personal favorite of mine, it is undeniable that this album awoke a folk movement in United States. So, I'll give a 3 for its place in Western music history, not for my personal preference.

Meh, I can see how it is a good album, but I dont enjoy her voice....

I get a bit bored by this early 60s folk stuff

BOOOOORIIIIIING😔😔😔

Too sleepy and trilly for me

A strong offering from the queen of the 60s American Folk Revival. My biggest complaint is that her rapid-fire vibrato grates on me. 3 stars

It was okay, I guess. It was decently pleasant for the most part, except when she hit the high notes, that hurt my ears a little bit. Slightly generous 3

Tää levy oli aika jollotusta. Vaikka Joan on arvostettu artisti, en tykkää hänen laulustaan. Vähän liian ”hienoa” musiikkia minulle.

01) Silver Dagger - 6,0 02) East Virginia - 6,5 03) Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles) - 5,5 04) House of the Rising Sun - 6,5 05) All My Trials - 5,5 06) Wildwood Flower - 5,5 07) Donna Donna - 6,0 08) John Riley - 5,0 09) Rake and Rambling Boy - 5,0 10) Little Moses - 5,0 11) Mary Hamilton - 5,0 12) Henry Martin - 5,5 13) El Preso Número Nueve - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,58 (56/100)

Surprisingly wonderful

its giving wuthering heights

Типовий фолк-сінгер-сонграйтер альбом з 60х. Не люблю Ділана і так само його подруга теж не дуже мені подобається.

What a beautiful voice. She makes these songs of the folk era shine as pretty as a starry night. Great debut by the best song interpreter ever. She can write them too.

Tja, mid. Kjedelig. 2 av 5

Gorgeous voice, good tunes

absolutely hated this

Lots of traditional songs sung wonderfully by Ms. Baez. Just a woman & a guitar. She's still going strong. She performed at The Power to the People Festival this past weekend. 3

++*: East Virginia ++: Silver Dagger, Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles), House of the Rising Sun, Wildwood Flower, Donna Donna, Rake and Rambling Boy, Little Moses, Mary Hamilton, Henry Martin, El Preso Número Nueve +: All My Trials, John Riley 9,7/10

Folk songs droning on, Vibrato hurts my ears now, Way too monotone.

I prefer Joni Mitchell to Joan Baez

ok

her voice is stunningly clear. I found her soprano to be a little shrill after several songs but overall quite beautiful and soulful.

Joanie… what can I say? I’m a huge Dylan fan. Which means Joan Baez is in my universe. Her voice is one of the most interesting in all of the generalized “pop music” sphere. For some people, it’s a non-starter. I understand. It’s simple brain chemistry. The brain operates as a prediction machine and its reward pathways process dopamine. Our brains aren’t just passively absorbing music, it is actively trying to predict what notes, rhythms, chords, etc. is coming next based on our own history of collected, internalized music patterns. So, it stands to reason that we can adjust our brains to accept and predict more and varied patterns by listening to music that challenges what we find comforting or label “good” or “bad”. It’s just not that simple. The brain releases the most dopamine when music balances predictability with a slight subversion of what we expect and our brain rewards us for recognizing that subversion. When we hear music that falls outside of the threshold, something unusual, dissonant, quasi-rhythmic or, unpredictable… no dopamine. In extreme cases, music attacks the amygdala and stimulates a threat response. More severe dissonance, extreme staccato, jagged microtones, erratic dynamics, etc. can release cortisol and adrenaline. Some extreme cases of musical anhedonia can result in a neurological refusal to enjoy music at all. I guess my point is, when people stop themselves from enjoying music because it presents a challenge to that “sweet spot” where they are rewarded, it’s only because they haven’t trained their brain’s auditory cortex to predict more varied outcomes. This inverted-U relationship between complexity and pleasure is known as the Wundt-Berlyne curve. You can literally train your brain’s predictive coding network to accept a broader set of rules and expand your dopamine reward system. What does this have to do with a young girl with a guitar and a high tenor? Nothing really, but I bet you feel a little silly for not being able to be rewarded for listening to her sing her very best with the only voice she has to offer. If this is a nonstarter, you have a lot of work to do. 4

Very dated sounding

Not very exciting but still a calm and pleasant listen. Joan’s got such a great voice.

Joan will always be underrated because of the implicit sexism of the time; she shouldn't be

Fantastic. I was thinking of knocking it for not having originals, but she rearranged all of these songs and recorded with 2 microphones in an old church--sounds great. Similar to Joni Mitchell I'm not a huge fan of her higher register, but you can't deny how great she is.

It's folk at its most unadorned, a breath of fresh air in the sea of electronic echoes. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Silver Dagger - House of the Rising Sun - Donna Donna

Great album!

A superlative compilation of one of our most muscular American singers. 'Silver Dagger' and 'I Know You Rider' are my own personal highlights, though the former seems to be beloved by all. Can certainly enjoy her take on 'House of the Rising Sun,' though her paramour would go on to do a better take (naturally, but you wouldn't know that at the time). Still, can't shake off the feeling that listening to Joan Baez is like getting scolded by your mother. B

"East Virginia" really caught my attention. Other than that. Good background noise #3

As far as folk goes kinda enjoyed

It was not so bad

Her singing voice does not resonate with me at all

some of her songs are so beautiful and some sound like she’s an old lady sitting behind you in church

This is lovely music. The simple arrangements of traditional folk music work very well with Joan Baez's voice. The fact that it is all covers is maybe a small mark against this album, but does not hinder my enjoyment much. In fact, it's kind of fun to hear these versions of songs that (in many cases) I have been familiar with for all my life. It's an incredible debut. Favorite track: "Henry Martin." What can I say, I like my sorrowful sea ballads.

Joan Baez debut. With Donna and the House of thee Rising Sun.

Very eclectic vibes on this old timey folk album. Quality vocal performance from Joan. I think it's an album you really need to be in the mood for because of its slow pacing and heavy use if vibrado. Lucky for me, today I was in the mood.

Liked it at first, perfect for the Sunday morning I got it on, but I soon got a bit bored. The songs tended to get a bit samey. Great voice though.

Voice of an angel

just kinda boring

I had no idea how brilliant her guitar playing was, and found myself getting lost in that at points, that Joni Mitchell thing of being so accomplished your other things are overlooked. :) Great stuff, definitely will listen to more, wish I had sooner! The folksy thing wore a bit thin at points, but forgiveable and cool to hear nonetheless. :)

Pretty decent.

It is tempting to call Joni Mitchell the female Dylan, and in some ways that makes sense. Joni is more distinctive and iconic. But Baez is really more intrinsically tied to the man's work. She is in many ways folk music epitomized. Like Bob, her songs often feel like they're traditional, and often they are political. Shared intentions (though Joan isn't so intentionally obtuse all the damned time). The album largely rests on competent fingerprinting and sweet vocals. Folk music as simplicity. It leans hard into traditional, which is a shame because you'd sorta hope that in 1001 albums, they'd pick one that said something over one that interpreted the past, though i suppose that would be hard too… Baez largely eschews writing credits until the 70s. Song choice is to some degree the true purview of the troubadour, and there are definitely a bunch of tracks I found going through the discography that i'm interested in. Baez is unquestionably an important name, but this album never really elevates from the conceit of “interpreter.” Nice enough but a little samey after some 45 minutes of standard “traditional” tunes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5

This was really beautiful and I was captivated by Baez's voice throughout. The simple arrangements (if you can call it that when it's pretty just a guitar) mean the vocals are hard to ignore. I'd probably give it a 5 if there were any originality but they're all traditional folk songs by the looks of things

omfg she has a GREAT voice wow solid 3, i'd listen to it again (probably at night) AYOOOO?? EL PRESO NUMERO NUEVE??? I DIDN'T EXPECT HER TO SING IN SPANISH OMG solid 4 now

Wow what a voice! Good music for a lazy Sunday morning

Nice, bit boring.

Jolie voix mais on se fait chier

Overall: 7/10 This started out as a 10/10 album. I love Joan's voice and I found everything so beautiful. While that beauty never really left, it also started to feel too repetitive at some point. I think this had the potential to be a perfect album but I got a bit bored of it's style by the end. Still, I think this is overall pretty great. Fav Song: House of the Rising Sun

I really wanted to like this, as I know that Joan Baez is a folk legend, but I could not take her voice's tight vibrato.

Groan Baez 2.0/5.0

pretty voice but pretty boring

Simple, but very beautiful. Also, she was 19 recording this?? Insane!

Couldn't finish it, got ten tracks in and figured there was nothing left for me to learn. It's a good version of what it is, and the woman can definitely sing, but ultimately it felt like I was being punished

Haiku: Alas, three point five Was not an option, for I Rounded this one down.

Really Good. haunting voice. Opened my eyes to her

bunch of good and whack covers. good voice but nothing original... (2.5/5.0)

Joan Zone baby 🇲🇽

It was more enjoyable than I was expecting. It did start to drag towards the end though. She has a fantastic voice, that seems to fit perfectly with just a simple guitar backing. I would happily listen again - but only if someone else put it on as I wouldn't bother to seek it out myself.

Zzzzzzzzz. 2.5

Put this on, but was completely vetoed by the missus. “Women’s lib be damned!” She cried. “This is just annoying!” Fair enough. The warble is so 60’s. 2 stars for my mom’s generation!

(3/5) The folk music that sprung from the late 50s, early 60s, was.. interesting. It was clearly a revolt against the big sounds of the jazz/swing music from the prior decades. It was also an interesting take on historical music as well. I guess, musically, Joan was as good a person as any to plumb the depths of this well. Her voice is ok (definitely an acquired taste) and the lone guitar is played as skillfully as the simple music demands. There are a few well known standards ("House.." immediately stood out) in here and I'm sure a few others. Overall an interesting artifact from this period. Normally this would get a polite '2', but seeing as this is the only album from an important FEMALE artist on the list, I'll inflate it. We get **TWO** 'xx' albums but only ONE Joan Baez?? (.. just one egregious example among many .. also NO SUPREMES.) I might not like it much but I respect the influence and importance of her work.

Much like Joni Mitchell, I find myself WANTING to like Joan Baez more than I actually like Joan Baez. It's good, and the lyrics are poetic and poignant, it just isn't something I'd reach for unprompted, and a listen to this one didn't inspire a second one. That said, it's still a solid 3/5 that I've no intention of talking down.

195. Joan Baez - Joan Baez (1960) 9.5.26 Variety: 3 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 3 Uniqueness: 2 Emotionality: 4 = 3.4 rounded down to a 3 I find myself this morning realizing that I am nowhere near as familiar with Joan Baez as I thought I was. Looking up her big hits, none of them ring a bell, and the song I associate with her most - Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" - I don't think she ever charted with. I'm pretty sure I've heard a live version though. Or maybe I've just absorbed 40+ years of pop cultural tropes where this song has been associated ( not entirely mistakenly so) with the stereotypical hippie. I think a couple things are at work here. First the song itself while written way earlier, is indeed a protest song that I think was picked up and batted around by and proved influential to those in the later 60s. And Baez herself had a pretty well documented and dedicated involvement in anti-war and peace movements. That coupled with me not being a fan of her earnest vocals early on I think bled together to make me think she was some hippie icon, when in fact she was the real fucking deal, having been an old resister well before she became famous in the early 60s, and continuing on into the modern era ( up to a few years ago!) when all the dirty hippie posers ( I really despise the hippie aesthetic btw as I think it was largely fueled by gross dudes who wanted easy access to drugs and sex and took advantage of a lot of young women and idealistic kids and who even the most effective of were ultimately just very, very loud and had no follow through/ They had their chance and fucking blew it.) had long since given up their schtick. Being rich and famous probably allowed her the luxury of dedicating time and money to causes, but at least she conritbuted something. Like it or not, the sentiment is admirable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHQ7N9lEl_E Anyway. THE TRACKS "Silver Dagger" - Have to say I am still not 100% onboard with Baez's vocals. She does a fine job, with the material and there's nothing really to criticize about her singing. It's just too pretty for me. For this sort of material. Great guitar work here as well. It is interesting to compare this song in particular to how it was arranged by one of her male counterparts, Dave Van Ronk - who changes it up to be about the man trying to steal the woman away, with her father's permission of course. I think this is going to be a rough listen for me, when I like the material, the playing, but find the delivery to be too smooth. It all balances out though. "East Virginia" - This one worked a lot better for me. Baez sounds much more forlorn and sad. It's also a better melody I think, and hearkens back to the old English folk ballad style in the delivery. "Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles)" - This felt much more like the sort of thing that would be fodder for a Peter, Paul, and Mary album. ( not a fan btw and relieved they are not on the list). Baez's voice soars on this and sort of overpowers it. Again, I'm struggling with the fact she's actually doing a great job. I just don't like how ... proper it sounds. Does that make sense? Maybe I'm crazy. I haven't read any other user reviews of this, but curious to see if her voice is a sticking point for anyone else. With "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" and a couple of her other 70s tracks I've heard she sound SO much more relaxed and natural in her delivery, so maybe she was too earnest and eager ( only 19 when she recorded this which is impressive) to please on this one. I dunno. This is starting to sound like a me issue. "House of the Rising Sun" - This is a hard one to mess up, and Baez acquits herself well enough. I really liked the softer bits on here at the ends of her lines. It's when she goes BIG that she loses me. The material is strong though, so strong that more than a few people have polished their reputations with it. "All My Trials" - The playing was great on this one, delicate and appropriate to the lullaby-like structure, dark as that lullaby is. I'm reminded a bit of Cat Stevens here, whose delivery can get feel a little overbaked as well. "Wildwood Flower" - This was WAY more my speed, with the fingerpicking, Appalachian flavor in full effect. This was great in fact. I wish she could have stayed in this register for everything on here. The uptempo feel helps distinguish this one as well. When she does go high on here, she ends up going into a very awesome country diva sound that makes me wonder if she ever did an album of country standards. ( Edit: looks like shed did! It's a compilation called The Joan Baez Country Music Album. I will give this a spin and see what's up). This was wonderful stuff. "Donna Donna" - Slow and sad, and makes better use of Baez's ability to go into that English folk ballad mode. I'm imagining she would have killed it guesting with a group like Fairport Convention. I don't see that she ever did, but she did record a version of my all time favorite folk ballad, that Fairport Convention recorded an iconic version of. - "Matty Groves" by Joan Baez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd6vIBV-f-A - "Matty Groves" by Fairport Convention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtVkYMFueWs - "Little Musgrave (alt title)" by Jean Ritchie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27wejRHnyxU "John Riley" - This one has very similar vibes, but works a lot better for me, I think due to the much catchier melody. Very pretty, very sad. This formula seems to be working much better along with the more country-ish for me than the bigger swings. "Rake and Rambling Boy" - This one fits more in the country-ish mode, but she mixes in that big, big, delivery which sours it a bit for me. "Little Moses" - Her voice suited this one pretty well, as she stays down low and delivers it softly and like a religious lullaby. Sweet and easy to imagine a loving mother sending her kid off to bed with this. "Mary Hamilton" - Again with the big swings. This one isn't as bad as some though. I can hear some of Joni Mitchell's vocal inflections on this one though, and I can't imagine that Mitchell wasn't a big Baez fan. "Henry Martin" - Not a seas shanty per se, but adjacent enough to make me wonder if Baez dipped her into any of those ( Edit: not that I can find). "El Preso Número Nueve" - This was awesome. I could listen to a whole album of Baez performing mariachi numbers. That super emotional soaring quality is very much suited to it. And the guitar work here is badass. HIGHLIGHTS - "East Virginia" - "Wildwood Flower" - "Donna Donna" - "John Riley" - "Little Moses" - "El Preso Número Nueve" MIDLIGHTS - "Silver Dagger" - "Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles)" - "House of the Rising Sun" - "All My Trials" - "Rake and Rambling Boy" - "Mary Hamilton" - "Henry Martin" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS I was looking forward to this one, even though I'm not a fan of Baez's vocal delivery. I can admit she's a true talent, and while her voice is pretty, and full of emotion it just hits me wrong with a good portion of these songs. I feel like they should all be dirtier, and well... more traditionally folkier. The few times I'd heard her sing growing up I didn't much care for it wither, but I didn't have the context or experience to realize just why that was. In the decades since I've listened to a lot of folk and roots music and have found that my tastes lean very hard into the more authentic, rustic, and rough around the edges stuff, both in production and vocals. As lame as it sounds to say it, I prefer the more authentic stuff, maaaaaan. Having just recently listened to a bunch of Jean Ritchie recordings does not help Baez in comparison. By comparison, that stuff is haunting and ghostly, and hits my sweet spot. Dylan skirts by in this regard due to his explosive creative period, and his unique voice, with it's roughness already built in. Baez, I hate to say it has a voice that's just damn pretty for me. I admire and respect the woman, and her arrangements on these tracks are undeniably good, as is her performance. It's just not may taste. So she will get the rare bump from me because of that. The influence she had on female performers in particular cannot be overstated - all the way from the folkies of the 60's, every singer songwriter you can name from the 70s, and alt country artists well into the 80s and beyond. And that's not even considering that she deserves a lot of credit for recognizing and championing Bob Dylan, drawing eyes and ears and dollars by recording his work and getting him valuable stage time. She vouched for the dude, and helped get that monster career moving. Pretty sure he ended up doing her dirty in return, which seems par for the course for so many of these "great" men on the list. Her body of original work though has also not made a very deep impact in the popular culture. At least not one that has lasted much beyond the early 70s, so that's another small criticism. She's a musical icon without an iconic set of songs, which is a strange space in the popular culture to inhabit. This is her only album on the list, and having heard none of the others I can assume it was picked primarily for its outsized influence, and that works great. Also, her cover of "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" is SUPERB, and I think is the primary version of the song that exists in my mind, which does make me want to check out some of her 70s stuff... Edit: I took a detour to dive into that country compilation album and it was uniformly excellent. It's from a lot of different periods I guess, but she sounds way more confident and relaxed on all of this, and stays in a fine register. Several of these I listened to on repeat. I would highly recommend to fans of Neko Case. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - I could see myself revisiting the highlights here FURTHER LISTENING - Dust Bowl Ballads by Woody Guthrie - The Smithsonian Folkways Collection by Pete Seeger - The Wayfaring Stranger by Burl Ives - Saturday Night and Sunday Too by Jean Ritchie - Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan - Van Ronk Sings by Dave Van Ronk - Song to a Seagull by Joni Motchell - Gliding Bird by Emmylou Harris - I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again by Buffy Sainte-Marie - The Joan Baez Country Music Album by Joan Baez - Bonnie Raitt by Bonnie Raitt - "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave you" by Led Zeppelin - "Diamonds & Rust" by Judas Priest - The Tigers Have Spoken by Neko Case

Once again I must reiterate how I am a sucker for a pleasant voiced lady strumming an acoustic guitar. Joan Baez has a lovely voice and the material is here to let her sing. There is not much beyond that. This is part of that 60s folk music moment, artists went about rediscovering and reinterpreting old standards. I enjoyed this album. I’ll give it a 3.5 that Im bumping up to a 4 for appreciation of Baez career. Highlights That stretch from “House of the Rising Sun”to “Little Moses” really got to me. Loved it.

ofwel speel je folk ofwel zing je opera... maar verpest het ene niet met het andere...

She’s a bit of a Joni Mitchell type but less good.

She has a really pretty voice, but this album is way too long and not very interesting, there were a couple of songs that I really liked but they’re surrounded by ones I really didn’t.

At this point, folk music largely means a singer songwriter presenting their songs on an acoustic guitar. This record reflects that arrangement, featuring Baez on vocals and guitar with an additional guitarist, but this is a recording of what could be called folk songs. It's also definitely a product of the folk revival that was going on at the time. It's drawing from multiple traditions of that music. They're all fairly solid versions and Baez is an excellent singer in this tradition. It's pretty good, but not a record that I turn to that often despite having owned it for years.

09/02 Boring

The warbly stuff just sucks

Tiene canciones que estan lindas pero en general es aburridisimo HASTA QUE SE PONE A CANTAR EN ESPAÑOL, yo necesito que todo el album sea en español omg que diferencia!!! 5/10

I respect Joan Baez for a lot of things. Your values are only values if they're put to the test and she went to jail for what she believed in. There's a video of her somewhere breaking into a mocking impression of Bob Dylan that's hilarious. I don't know if there is a quintessential Joan Baez album versus a collection of songs. I don't even really understand the premise of this list anymore.

Another fave of my Dad but sadly she never resonated with me whenever I listened and this is no exception. It's fine, her voice is decent but I't's not having much effect on me.

Голос и гитары вызывают какую-то ностальгию...

I'm just not a fan of hers. Every album of hers I've listened to I walk away wondering why she got popular and why people tell me she's good. I just don't hear it.

Pretty boring with a voice that I just can't get behind.

Na momente mislim "kako divan glas" a onda na momente me prepada kako mi probija uši. Da se izbacila koja pjesma bio bi sasvim korektan album, ovako ga je i dužina srozala.

Her voice is amazing, unlike anything I have ever heard. I was quite surprised by it. I do think however that more than 30 minutes of Joan Baez is too much Joan Baez..

Nice voice. A bit slow for my taste.

2.9 2x great voice

Not for me and lasted only five tracks Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ in part Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆(4/10) Default Total reviewed : 415 Already owned : 93 Purchased : 21 To buy : 5 Nope : 296

Quite an interesting collection of folk songs -- even if Joan Baez's version did not become the standard which these songs are known as, her delivery is solid and her music resonant.

so very american, i liked the spanish songs, not a bad listen

I'm not always wanting to listen to more traditional folk, but I can appreciate what she was doing.

Kicking off the 1960s with arrangements of traditional folk tunes that highlight Baez’s beautiful, vibrato-accentuated, voice accompanied by well-picked acoustic guitars melodies. A lot of emotion in the slower songs, the haunted ghosts transmitted theough Baez’s new lens on the song. But the occasionally picked up tempo can also make a fun romp. It’s a good album, though I doubt I’ll come back frequently.

Uhhhhh, not sure how much I enjoyed this. It's pretty boring. In terms of variety it rates a 0/10. Folk doesn't need to be this way. What this means is that listening to this album becomes a stale experience, where songs bleed into each other too much. It's very soothing and her voice is undeniably beautiful. However, she overuses vibrato and the soothing style sometimes clashes with unneeded intensity. I can imagine at the time this was released it was probably very exciting, because having a performance like this at home was a privileged. But this doesn't hold up; it doesn't feel 'fresh'. This doesn't appeal to me and it reminds me of the whole Dylan fiasco. He transformed 'folk' beyond what people thought folk should be. And thank God he did this, because folk became MUCH better thanks to him, and it makes this album feel outdated.

Several really nice songs, Joan has a beautiful voice. I can only get so much out of folk songs from this era but it's very well done. Another instance of a House of the Rising Sun rendition.

There's a lot of mean things I could say about her voice, so I'll be nice about it instead: her caterwauls could trigger fire and brimstone to rain down from above and give the angels reason to wield swords and decapitate everyone