Joan Baez in Bloomington, MN

At the time of its release,
Joan Baez
's debut album was something of a revelation. The folk music revival was beginning to gather steam, stoked on the popular side by artists such as the
Kingston Trio
and the
Easy Riders
, as well as up-and-coming ensembles such as the
Highwaymen
, and on the more intense and serious side by the
Weavers
. The female singers on the scene were mostly old-time veteran activist types like
Ronnie Gilbert
and
Malvina Reynolds
, who was in her sixties. And then along comes this album, by a 19-year-old who looked more like the kind of co-ed every mother dreamt her son would come home with, displaying a voice from heaven, a soprano so pure and beguiling that the mere act of listening to her -- forget what she was singing -- was a pleasure.
Baez
's first album, made up primarily of traditional songs (including a startling version of
"House of the Rising Sun"
), was beguiling enough to woo even conservative-leaning listeners. Accompanied by the
'
Fred Hellerman
and a pair of session singers,
gives a fine account of the most reserved and least confrontational aspects of the folk revival, presenting a brace of traditional songs (most notably
"East Virginia"
"Mary Hamilton"
) with an urgency and sincerity that makes the listener feel as though they were being sung for the first time, and opening with a song that was to become her signature piece for many years,
"Silver Dagger."
The recording was notable for its purity of sound. ~ Bruce Eder