Gone From Danger

by

Joan Baez

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For me, this CD was one of the nicer suprises of 1997 and was proof positive of how growing older can often breathe new life into something and cause a metamorphosis into something brand new.

For several years the "girl with the guitar", once dubbed the "queen of folk" has struggled to find an identity in the vast jungle of contemporary popular music which, when you are a person who has an audience with great expectations, is never easy.

This CD, a collection of covers by Betty Elders, Richard Shindell, Dar Williams, and others, comes as a breath of fresh air with its simple arrangements that manage to sound contemporary without giving into the commercialism so common today. Couple this with a band who's down to earth musicianship truly appreciates and supports the voice it is backing and you have a collection of music worth playing again and again.

While some of her older fans may be dismayed by the changes in her voice, I find that the darker husky texture and tone of her voice has brought a welcome warmth and depth to her music. It is this voice that causes her version of Richard Shindell's "Reunion Hill" to emerge as a victorious anthem of survival. On "February" she brings a sad world weary perspective to Dar William's tale of bittersweet love, and her own composition, "Lily" with its jangling guitars could fit in anywhere in the alternative folk/pop scene today.

Although it scares me to say so, her career spans most of my life. How nice it is then that it has become so rich and full.

My wife and I bought our first Joan Baez album in the 60s, and have since bought every album she has ever released. We have also seen her live in concert several times. With two exceptions, "Blowin' Away" and "Play Me Backwards," we cherish every one of her albums -- and enjoy them to this day. But "Gone From Danger" is simply not Joan Baez. Indeed, we don't know what it is. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with any artist venturing into new styles or materials -- or crossing over entirely, for that matter. Redeemed only by the few cuts on the bonus 2nd CD -- which emphatically prove that Joan is still Joan and account for the two stars, this collection is otherwise, and sadly, a failure -- simply because this is not the Joan Baez we love so dearly. (And echo and over-dubbing? Really!!) Please come back, Joan. Please.