WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
| Joan Baez
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
Whistle Down the Wind is a studio album by American folk singer and musician Joan Baez, released on March 2, 2018, her first studio album in almost a decade. The album features songs written by such composers as Tom Waits, Josh Ritter and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Joe Henry produced the album. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
On her first album in a decade, the folk great takes a hard look at the state of the world and tries to muster something like hope.
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NPR
That her idealism remains intact — and these protest songs still contain glimmers of hope despite steep odds — ensures the album is also deeply empowering.
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Rolling Stone
This curated collection of songs is perfect for her burnished voice and eternal activist commitment
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Pop Matters
Joan Baez's latest album avoids sermonizing, approaching current calamities obliquely, gaining power from understatement, and bringing the listener to a calm place
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Red Guitar Music
a really fine, exquisitely crafted album by an artist who still has much to say. The strength of the album lies not just in the songs but in the performances.
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All Music
a portrait of an artist who, at the age of 77, has not given up on her muse or her ideals, and while it's subtle, it's also a deeply moving piece of work that demands attention
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Glide Magazine
a collection of songs with hallowed credits that include TomWaits, Josh Ritter, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Eliza Gilkyson, all of whom owe a debt to Baez that’s only now being repaid
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The Young Folks
Baez’s interpretations are so profound that we can often pull something from them that wasn’t learned before
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The Green Man Review
an album of songs that looks unflinchingly in the face of mortality and loss
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Herald Standard
The voice that fueled riveting anthems of protest relating to social injustice during the 1960s still rings as strong and true today as Baez continues to focus her attention on topical issues that are emotional and thought-provoking.
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Exclaim!
Baez chooses songs that are close to her heart and represent her long journey, political struggles and ideals succinctly, as you can feel the passion in her crystalline voice and through beautiful finger-picking
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Folk Radio
The result is a concise, varied and totally engaging listen that invites repeated visits.
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Artree
Breathtakingly beautiful, tender and elegant; Whistle Down the Wind is an album that is packed with a raw and powerful emotion that is carefully polished and delivered in a manner that can soothe your aching heart
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Cryptic Rock
There is brilliance throughout Whistle Down the Wind in its musicality and lyricism, and there is always a beautiful balance between the two.
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American Highways
The clear acoustic tones carry the album like a harpsichord in spring.
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Original Rock
The contents find her searching for a glimmer of hope in troubled times as this protest singer par excellence tackles songs penned by luminaries such as Tom Waits and Mary Chapin Carpenter
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Off the Tracks
A powerful set of songs, so beautifully recorded, dutifully served.
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Americana UK
The age and experience that Baez has brings something to this sort of song and few others can and if as ever there’s a lack of grit or edge that’s not going to bother he audience.
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Elsewhere
So the album wears the weight of its moment in time and her life heavily . . . but also deftly in places
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God is in the TV
She’s gone to songwriters and songs who mean something to her. Through her interpretation she decisively takes ownership.
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The Washington Times
Joan Baez delivers another pearl, 10 deeply felt interpretations about the human condition and the state of the world
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Inspirer
All of it, from start to finish, is a reminder of Joan Baez’s steady influence on this world. She has always been here with a guitar in hand and a voice to sing with, to lull us, to teach us how to fight back as we learn to love each other harder.
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Northern Sky
Here Joan pays tribute to some of her contemporary song builders through a beautifully weathered voice.
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Folking.com
Whistle Down The Wind succeeds in looking back and looking to the future and it needs time to settle into your consciousness.
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Penny Black Music
Joan Baez continues to share hope and awareness through her chosen music, illuminating the world we share through her singing.
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Get Ready to Rock
A wonderful listen from start to finish.
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George Graham
Our grade for sound quality is close to an “A” with good clarity and Ms. Baez’ voice captured accurately and without any attempts at augmenting it with effects. The instrumentation has a warm sound, and though the dynamic range is somewhat restricted by volume compression, it’s better than average for a contemporary recording.
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No Depression
may be Joan Baez’s best album, for it showcases her way with a song: her emotional engagement with the lyrics, her passionate delivery of the story in the song, her somber or soaring musical setting of the lyrics. There are moments of purity, clarity, and grace on Baez’s album delivered powerfully and poignantly through her vision and her voice.
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Talk House
Whistle Down the Wind demonstrates that the songs we cover sometimes say more about our present state than the songs we write ourselves.
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The Rocking Magpie
The First Lady of American Folk Still Surprises, Astonishes and Delivers.
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Blabber 'n' Smoke
a powerful and moving album, as topical as today’s weather and it bodes well for the singer’s farewell tour
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Elmore Magazine
It all sounds wonderful: earnest vocals supported by folksy guitar and gentle arrangements.
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