Joan Baez

While her old pal and former lover Bob Dylan wheezes his way through senior citizenship, Baez looks and sounds better than ever. Produced by Steve Earle, Day After Tomorrow feels like one of her classic Vanguard albums from the late '60s, when she was experimenting with country-folk and roots rock. At the same time, the singer sounds wonderfully current, covering Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Patty Griffin. If you think Baez is nothing more than a protest folkie, spin this album now.

"I believe in prophecy," Baez sings on her new album. For five decades, her ringing
soprano has been a prophetic sound, summoning the earnestness and anger — and, a bit
too often, the self-righteousness — of the folk revival that made her its poster child. For her
24th studio release, Baez has teamed up with Steve Earle, who produced the album and
contributed three songs. It's a fruitful partnership: Earle's hard-won earthiness a... More >