Joan reaffirmed her unique ability to identify and interpret successive generations of songwriters whose music had the ability to speak to her: Mary Chapin Carpenter (“Stones In the Road”), John Stewart (“Strange Rivers”), John Hiatt (“Through Your Hands”), the duo of Janis Ian and Buddy Mondlock (“Amsterdam”), and Ron Davies (“Steal Across the Border” and “The Dream Song,” co-written with Joan).  Play Me Backwards also contains four songs that Joan co-wrote with her two producers (“Play Me Backwards,” “Isaac and Abraham,” “I’m With You,” and “Edge Of Glory.”   

Some of the songwriters contributing to disc 2 are not widely known, such as the late Mark Heard (“Rise From the Ruins,” “Lonely Moon”), or John Hadley (“The Last Day”) or Gary Nicholson (“Trouble With the Truth”); and one writer is not known at all (“Medicine Wheel”).  On the other hand, there are additional songs from Janis Ian (“We Endure”) and Ron Davies (“Dark Eyed Man,” originally recorded by Kevin Welch as “Dark Eyed Gal”). Fans will be immediately drawn to Joan’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Seven Curses.”    

Track listing: 
CD One (Play Me Backwards): Play Me Backwards / Amsterdam / Isaac and Abraham / Stones In The Road / Steal Across The Border / I'm With You / I'm With You (Reprise) / Strange Rivers / Through Your Hands / The Dream Song / Edge of Glory.  

CD Two (The Play Me Backwards Demos): Medicine Wheel / Rise From The Ruins / Trouble With The Truth / Much Better View Of The Moon / Seven Curses / In My Day / Dark Eyed Moon / We Endure / The Last Day / Lonely Moon.