Y’all probably know the story on Ani DiFranco, so I’ll keep it short. She burst on the scene in 1990 with a self-titled album of complex, beautiful, haunting songs in the folk tradition, a unique guitar picking style, and a talent for lyrics. Since then, she has released an album pretty much every year (sometimes more than one), and experimented with a large number of musical styles.
She turned down all offers of signing to a major and instead started her own label Righteous Babe Records. She has continued to be one of the most powerful voices for the Left in American songwriting and politics. And she has continued to write beautiful songs about more mundane (but no less important issues) of people’s daily lives: love, hard times, good times, her own unlooked-for role as a spokeswoman for a generation of woman, etc.
I haven’t liked everything she’s done over the years. She has been so prolific that one could hardly expect every song to appeal to every person. In particular, her work of the last 10 years has been a lot more spotty in terms of my tastes. However, she has a new album Reprieve due out on August 8. From what I’ve heard so far, this is my favorite album by her since 2001’s double-disc Revelling/Reckoning.
You can listen to one track Hypnotized directly from her website (either a streaming version, or an early live version from 2004). It’s a quiet, beautiful song with that almost effortless feel that is, in reality, so difficult to create. And unlike some of her other more recent work that I haven’t been able to get into, it’s quiet and simple without feeling boring.
Half-Assed
This song sounds more like a “traditional” indie-guitar song than almost anything else she has ever done. It’s got enough of the Ani bite to it to give it a unique feel, but it’s interesting to see her try out her pop-song chops.
And, while I’ve got your attention, here’s a couple of my old favorites from her.
Letter to a John (live)
I’m not sure where this version of this song is from. She has a number of live versions on her live albums, but I’m pretty sure this one is from somewhere else. Regardless, it’s my favorite take on the song, with a great edge to it to complement the cutting lyrics.32 Flavors (live)
This is, by far, my favorite of her songs. The original version is nice enough, but it’s this one from the Living in Clip live compilation that really shines. It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful song. In some ways, it reminds me a lot of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” in that both songs blow you away with their emotional energy, despite vocals that rarely rise above a hushed whisper.
Both Hands
This song is from her very first album, back at the tender age of 20. It’s raw, lovely, and heartbreaking. It is frankly astonishing how full it can sound given that it’s just her and her guitar.