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The Light at the End of the Line
The Light at the End of the Line
Studio album by Janis Ian
Released	January 21, 2022
Genre	American folk music
Length	46:07
Language	English
Label	Rude Girl
Producer	Janis Ian; Viktor Krauss (co-producer on “Better Times Will Come”); Randy Leago (co-producer on “Resist”);
Janis Ian chronology

I think hitting 70 was a big part of it. Having the last 15 years to put together songs and wanting to make something that was better than anything I’d done before was involved. Mostly, the timing really worked out. I went into lockdown right around when I needed or wanted to start thinking about this. I had no plans until I looked up at my write board and realized I had 15 songs I was pleased with, and one unfinished. I started listening to what Randy Leago had done with “Resist,” and I began working with Viktor Krauss on “Better Times…”
I had originally intended to do an all-solo acoustic album, but it became clear that I really wanted a blend of it to serve the songs. There wasn’t a sudden, “Gee, I’ll make an album now” decision. There was more a talking to people and seeing where Randy and Viktor’s schedules were. Seeing where John Whelan was. Whether we could get Nuala Kennedy to do her parts from Ireland. Finding a studio where I live, which is near Bradenton, so there’s not a huge amount of studios available. Then just winnowing down the songs and going, “Well, I think this is actually an album.”

—Janis Ian on recording her first studio album of original material in 15 years^[1]

The Light at the End of the Line is a 2022 studio album by American folk musician Janis Ian, billed as her final solo studio album.^[2]^[3] The album has received positive reviews from critics and was intended to be paired with a farewell tour which Ian had to cancel most of due to laryngitis.^[4] Ian intended to continue with other creative pursuits, including writing after retiring as a musician.^[5] The music was mostly composed in the three years prior to the album being published and was released on Ian's Rude Girl label.^[6]

Reception

Liz Thomson of The Arts Desk rated The Light at the End of the Line five out of five stars, praising Ian's songwriting and "striking lyrics", continuing that "the album contains the tenderest of ballads".^[7] The site included this among their best albums of 2022, with Thomson encouraging readers to start with this entry in Ian's discography.^[8] In Hot Press, Jackie Hayden gave this album a 7.5 out of 10, stating that "Ian's voice belies her age" and he also praised the session musicians.^[9] In No Depression, John Amen characterized this release as "Janis Ian moves seamlessly between activistic declarations and descriptive verse, her melodies crystalline, her voice imbued with hard-won wisdom".^[10] William Dart of Radio New Zealand's New Horizons called this album one of "unflinching gravitas [which] emanates the glow of a life well lived".^[11] In Record Collector, Charles Waring scored this release 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a sublime epitaph to an extraordinary career".^[12] Uncut's Terry Staunton gave this album a 7 out of 10 for combining "senior wisdom" with "headstrong youthfulness".^[13]

In 2022, PopMatters published a ranking of Ian's best albums, with The Light at the End of the Line placing eighth and Charles Donovan writing "The Light at the End of the Line is not just a good one – it says goodbye by linking the different phases of Ian’s career. There’s the clever, caustic political bent of her earliest work, the reflective, sophisticated pop of her CBS years, the folk-orientated styles of her 1990s Nashville comeback, and where she stands today. It’s all here."^[14]

The Light at the End of the Line was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 65th Grammy Awards.^[15]

Track listing

All songs written by Janis Ian.

"I’m Still Standing" – 3:13
"Resist" – 4:30
"Stranger" – 3:05
"Swannanoa" – 3:29
"Wherever Good Dreams Go" – 4:58
"Perfect Little Girl" – 3:18
"Nina" – 3:26
"Dancing with the Dark" – 3:19
"Dark Side of the Sun" – 3:06
"Summer in New York" – 3:23
"The Light at the End of the Line" – 2:51
"Better Times Will Come" – 7:30

Personnel

"I’m Still Standing"

Janis Ian – vocal, guitars, production
Viktor Krauss – upright bass, engineering on upright bass
Randy Leago – cymbals, piano, engineering on percussion and piano, final mixing
Jon Perry – engineering on vocals and guitars

"Resist"

Janis Ian – acoustic guitars, main vocal, production
Jared Anderson – editing, final mixing
Randy Leago – instrumentation, engineering on Leago's parts, editing, preliminary mixing, production
Jon Perry – engineering on Ian's parts

"Stranger"

Janis Ian – vocal, nylon guitar, production
Randy Leago – harmonica, harmonica engineering, final mixing
Jon Perry – guitar and vocal engineering

"Swannanoa"

Janis Ian – lead vocal, acoustic guitars, production
Jared Anderson – final mixing
Nuala Kennedy – Irish whistle, harmonies, engineering on whistle and harmonies
Jon Perry – engineering on vocals and Ian's parts
John Whelan – button accordion, engineering on accordion, arrangement

"Wherever Good Dreams Go"

Recorded live in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Janis Ian – vocal, acoustic guitar, production
Philip Clark – engineering

"Perfect Little Girl"

Janis Ian – vocal, piano, production
Brandon Bell – engineering

"Nina"

Janis Ian – piano, vocal, production
Gordon Hammond – engineering

"Dancing with the Dark"

Recorded straight to digital audio tape at Granny White Studios

Janis Ian – vocal, acoustic guitar, production

"Dark Side of the Sun"

Janis Ian – vocal, guitar, production
Gordon Hammond – engineering

"Summer in New York"

Janis Ian – vocal, piano, production
Brandon Bell – engineering on piano and vocal
Randy Leago – clarinet, engineering on clarinet, final mixing

"The Light at the End of the Line"

Janis Ian – vocals, acoustic guitar, production
Jared Anderson – mixing
Trevor Bystrom – engineering

"Better Times Will Come

Janis Ian – lead vocals, rhythm guitars, production
Roy Agee – trombone, banjo
Jared Anderson – editing, mixing
Jim Brock – percussion
Sam Bush – mandolin
Jeff Coffin – soprano saxophone
John Cowan – lead vocals, backing vocals
Maeve Gilchrist – Celtic lever harp
Vince Gill – acoustic guitar solo
Jim Hoke – clarinet, baritone saxophone
Viktor Krauss – upright bass, resonator guitar, synthesizer, percussion, production
Steven May/BreviT – percussion, synthesizer
Jim Oblon – electric guitars
Diane Schuur – scatting solo, backing vocals
Andrea Zonn – violin, backing vocals