Diamonds, No Rust

A half-century into her performing career, Baez retains a dove’s voice and a hawk’s eye for material. Still the same peerless judge of talent she was when she came here to cut 1971’s double LP Blessed Are…, she swaps Kristofferson, Woody Guthrie, the Glimmer Twins and Robbie Robertson for Steve Earle, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Diana Jones and Patty Griffin on last year’s Earle-produced, Nashville-recorded CD The Day After Tomorrow. Backed by sympathetic Music City pickers, her voice no longer sounds like stainless steel: It’s lower and huskier, and better for it on lovely readings of the Waits title track and Costello and T-Bone Burnett’s gorgeous “The Scarlet Tide.” Go, and see if you can console her about the dashed hope of a McCain presidency.
Fri., Feb. 27, 8 p.m., 2009