| The Light at the End of the Line | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Janis Ian |
| Cover: | Janis Ian - The Light at the End of the Line.jpg |
| Alt: | A black-and-white photo of Ian's face |
| Genre: | American folk music |
| Language: | English |
| Label: | Rude Girl |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Hope |
| Prev Year: | 2020 |
| Next Title: | Live at the Calderone Theater 1975 |
| Next Year: | 2023 |
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. The album has received positive reviews from critics and was intended to be paired with a farewell tour which Ian had to cancel due to laryngitis. Ian intended to continue with other creative pursuits, including writing after retiring as a musician. The music was mostly composed in the three years prior to the album being published and was released on Ian's Rude Girl label.
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". The site included this among their best albums of 2022, with Thomson encouraging readers to start with this entry in Ian's discography. 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. 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". 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". In Record Collector, Charles Waring scored this release 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a sublime epitaph to an extraordinary career". Uncuts Terry Staunton gave this album a 7 out of 10 for combining "senior wisdom" with "headstrong youthfulness".
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."
The Light at the End of the Line was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 65th Grammy Awards.
All songs written by Janis Ian.
"I’m Still Standing"
"Resist"
"Stranger"
"Swannanoa"
"Wherever Good Dreams Go"
Recorded live in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
"Perfect Little Girl"
"Nina"
"Dancing with the Dark"
Recorded straight to digital audio tape at Granny White Studios
"Dark Side of the Sun"
"Summer in New York"
"The Light at the End of the Line"
"Better Times Will Come
Technical personnel