Joan Baez
Diamonds And Rust

THE REVIEW

Cosa cerchi - Opera
Con dentro - Diamonds And Rust

Blank page. The mind snaps, fingers tremble... is it possible? Yes.
Like a dentist in front of a patient with a dancing tooth, I find a remedy. Right now.

Year of grace 1975. Joan Baez, the queen of folk, the one with long black hair who flew from concert to concert without apparent rest, the woman who also attracted him, "closed soul," alias Robert Allen Zimmerman, was about to release her most successful album, where, among other things, some of her own compositions (gosh!) also appear.

The album opens with her most famous song, "Diamonds And Rust", captivating, solitary, elusive. The brief introduction of acoustic guitars offers an oriental rhythm, followed by Joan's clear singing, with that magical touch of hers, the slight tremor at the end of every word of each verse. Memories of the relationship with Dylan return, painful. The voice tells the story and it would be better if it never ended... Remembering the past times

"It's all coming back too clearly,
and yes I loved you dearly,
and if you're offering me diamonds and rust
I have already paid"

Dylan, Dylan and always Dylan... poor Joan.

Standouts include "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" (by Stevie Wonder, from the album "Where I'm Coming From"), sweet thanks to the splendid piano notes and especially for Joan’s vocal performance, and also "Children And All That Jazz", cheerful and carefree.

"Dida", Baez/Joni Mitchell duet. One of the most beautiful moments of the album, a track to listen to, without excuses. The two most beautiful female voices together create an indescribable song. Beautiful beautiful beautiful. And that's it.

"Simple Twist Of Fate", by Bobby, is also performed and played well. I can perceive a slight emotion in Joan's singing here.
Memories burn, they say... beautiful the part of the acoustic guitar, chords and notes that fly very high.

In conclusion a beautiful album, not perfect, but somehow special. Joan manages to share her sadness with the listener, but if once everything was fine, one must remember that times change, as someone from Hibbing once said...

Where have all the flowers gone?