''Play Me Backwards'' is an album by the American musician

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, released in 1992. The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. Baez supported it with an international tour. In 2012, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the album's original release, ''Play Me Backwards'' was reissued, digitally remastered, and including new liner notes; three bonus tracks—recorded during the original sessions, but not included on the original release—were included: " The Trouble With the Truth", "Medicine Wheel" and a cover of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's "

Seven Curses "The Maid Freed from the Gallows" is one of many titles of a centuries-old folk song about a condemned maiden pleading for someone to buy her freedom from the executioner. In the collection of ballads compiled by Francis James Child in the late ...

Production

Recorded in Nashville, the album was produced by Wally Wilson and

Kenny Greenberg Kenneth S. "Kenny" Greenberg is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer, and session musician. He is known for bringing a rock-and-roll sensibility to Nashville recording sessions. Biography Greenberg was born in Cleveland, Ohio but attend ...

. Baez sought out material after being dismayed with the songs pitched to her; she spent 14 months trying to find the right songs. The album's first single, "Stones in the Road", for which Baez shot a video, is a cover of the

Mary Chapin Carpenter Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...

song. "Through Your Hands" was written by

John Hiatt John Robert Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter. He has played a variety of musical styles on his albums, including new wave, blues, and country. Hiatt has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards and has been awarded ...

. "I'm with You" is about Baez's son, Gabriel.

Critical reception

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' called ''Play Me Backwards'' "mostly an album of mature, surprisingly percussive folk-pop love songs that marks her finest work since her ''Diamonds and Rust'' album of 1975." The '' Sun-Sentinel'' wrote that "Baez's erstwhile hyper-quivering soprano thankfully does not flutter so much, and has deepened marvelously with age." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' deemed the album "a surprisingly relaxed, rhythmic and modern set that sounds like it could have been recorded by any one of a number of today's folk-and country-flavored pop female singer-songwriters." ''

The Indianapolis Star ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the '' Indiana ...

'' noted that "Baez's voice sounds as pure as ever."

Track listing

All tracks composed by

, Wally Wilson and Kenny Greenberg, except where indicated. #"Play Me Backwards" #"Amsterdam" (

Janis Ian Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit "Society's Child, Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" an ...

, Buddy Mondlock) #"Isaac and Abraham" #"Stones in the Road" (

) #"Steal Across the Border" (Ron Davies) #"I'm with You" (Baez) #"I'm with You" (Reprise) (Baez) #"Strange Rivers" ( John Stewart) #"Through Your Hands" (

) #"The Dream Song" #"The Edge of Glory"

Personnel

- guitar, vocals *James A. Ball -

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

*Greg Barnhill - backing vocals * Richard Bennett - electric guitar *

Ashley Cleveland Ashley Cleveland (born February 2, 1957) is an American singer/songwriter best known as a background vocalist and gospel singer. Ashley Cleveland was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. She has been married to Kenny Greenberg since April 27, 1991, a ...

- backing vocals *Peter Coleman - engineer *

Chad Cromwell Chad Cromwell (born June 14, 1957) is an American rock drummer whose music career has spanned more than 30 years. He is the founding member of a band called Fortunate Sons, which released a self-titled album in 2004. Cromwell has worked with m ...

- drums *Tom Dolan - design *

Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. Career In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he h ...

- Dobro, guitar, lap steel guitar,

Weissenborn Weissenborn or H. Weissenborn is a brand of lap slide guitar manufactured by Hermann Weissenborn in Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s. These instruments are now highly sought after, and form the base for most non-resonator acoustic lap steel ...

*Roy Gamble - engineer, second engineer *Aaron D. Jacoves - A&R/executive producer *Carl Gorodetzky - violin *Eric Gorodetzky - engineer, second engineer *

- acoustic and electric guitar, producer *Mick Haggerty - art direction *Vicki Hampton - backing vocals *Mike Lawler - organ, synthesizer * Bob Ludwig - mastering *Bob Mason - cello *

Edgar Meyer Edgar Meyer (born November 24, 1960) is an American bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. He has won five Grammy Awards and been nominated seven times. Meyer is a member of the Telluride Bluegras ...

- upright bass *Jonell Mosser - backing vocals *

Steve Nathan Steven Jay Nathan is an American keyboardist. He is known for his session work in Muscle Shoals and Nashville studios. Biography Nathan was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. In 1977, Nathan moved to Muscle Shoals, Alabama. After touring w ...

- organ,

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

*Melanie Nissen - photography *Greg Parker - engineer, second engineer *Cyndi Richardson - backing vocals *Jerry Roady - percussion *Tom Roady - percussion * Chris Rodriguez - backing vocals *Ed Simonton - engineer, second engineer *Pamela Sixfin - violin *Kevin Smith - mixing *

James Stroud James Stroud is an American musician and record producer who works in pop, rock, R&B, soul, disco, and country music. He played with the Malaco Rhythm Section for Malaco Records. In the 1990s, he was the president of Giant Records (a subsidiar ...

- drums *Marcos Suzano - percussion,

berimbau The berimbau () is a single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, originally from Africa, that is now commonly used in Brazil. The berimbau would eventually be incorporated into the practice of the Afro-Brazilian martial art ''capoeir ...

Willie Weeks Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ...

- bass guitar *Kristin Wilkinson - viola * Wally Wilson - synthesizer, piano, producer *

Glenn Worf Glenn Worf is an American bassist known mainly for his work as a session musician. He has recorded with many major country music acts and also tours with Mark Knopfler. Early life and education Worf was born in Dayton, Ohio, and grew up in Mad ...

- bass guitar *Taylor York - engineer

References

{{Authority control Joan Baez albums 1992 albums Virgin Records albums Albums produced by Wally Wilson Albums produced by Kenny Greenberg