Ani DiFranco
Compiled from both poetry and sharp acoustics, singer-songwriter / folk artist Ani DiFranco breaks the conventional moulds with latest album, “Educated Guess.” This album is 100% Ani DiFranco, right through the instruments and vocals, and right down to the recording and mixing.
In a shotgun shack in the Bywater neighbourhood of New Orleans, Ani recorded all of the tracks on vintage reel-to-reel equipment. Once complete the album was released, as with all her albums, by Ani’s own independent recording label - Righteous Babe Records.
This has been by no means a small accomplishment on her side.
But I won’t waste your time: on the whole, this album is, well, weird.
Ani’s voice is unquestionably unique, fluctuating in pitch and tone throughout. Heavy acoustics compile much of the album, thrown together with some percussion, bass and keyboard, which are barely recognizable under Ani DiFranco’s distinctly gritty sound.
“There’s this unspoken assumption that you’re supposed to get clean sounds and separation between the instruments,” she says. “And you’re certainly not supposed to have any ambient noise in the background. But I sort of abandoned that on this record out of necessity because I was recording in my house. To me, it sounds like home.”
While initially disconcerting, her eclectic approach to the album quickly begins to compel one’s senses after a second listen. Whether for better or worse, Ani DiFranco is undeniably one of a kind.
Many of the tracks on the album are overwhelmingly intense, with all of them reflecting her outspokenness on topics ranging from politics to feminism. In the song “Animal”, Ani starts; “More and more there is this animal looking out through my eyes / At all the traffic on the road to nowhere / At all the shiny stuff around to buy.” Through the song, she expresses her feelings that “there is really a sickness of the American soul, that has been bred into us through the propaganda of the TV”.
If you’re looking for an album to “chill” to, I warn you, do not buy this CD. Rather, if poetry and poignancy is your thing, prepare to overcome the initial shock of this unusual album and enjoy the multitudinous layers of soul that make up Ani DiFranco’s work. Some standout tracks include “Educated Guess”, “Bodily”, and “Animal”, which seem to be more restrained, but by no means less moving.
Although her style may not be suited to many, Ani DiFranco seems to be one of those artists that command respect, no matter what approach they take to music.
Listening to this album, however, tends to get a bit much after awhile. Ani’s sharp voice and discord of accompaniments are not something tasteful to everyone’s mind. Yet, it’s easy to envisage the CD providing interesting background music, whatever the occasion. Buy ‘Educated Guess’ for a soft, intimate setting, and watch it create a stir amongst your friends, or whoever is around.
‘Educated Guess’ is guaranteed to create an atmosphere unparalleled to any other.
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Ani DiFranco