Ani Difranco

The music on Ani DiFranco’s latest CD is as stunning as ever, packed with irresistible melodies, poignant lyrics, and virtuoso performances. But for the first time in her career, Ani has invited a fellow singer-songwriter to work with her as co-producer: Joe Henry, himself the creator of nine highly regarded solo albums. She is also joined by more than half a dozen guest musicians, many of whom have played key roles in Ani’s recent career, including current stage partner Todd Sickafoose, former band member Julie Wolf, and Righteous Babe recording artist Andrew Bird. Through twelve new songs as intricately crafted as short stories, DiFranco creates another unforgettable musical self-portrait of a woman coming to grips with love’s twists and turns, confronting the legacy of her family, and learning to live on her own terms.

Every new album from Ani DiFranco gives listeners a reason to get excited about music all over again, and her latest, Reprieve, is certainly no exception. Across 12 tracks, DiFranco ignites more of her signature blend of poetry, politics and musicianship.

Ani and touring bassist Todd Sickafoose are the only two players on the new album - something you'd never guess from it's rich and detailed sound. In addition to the usual array of acoustic and electric guitars, Ani can be heard on keyboards, drums, and other instruments, while Todd contributes bass, wurlitzer, pump organ, piano and "fakey-bakey" trumpet and strings.

The album was tracked in her New Orleans studio in early 2005 during a break in her usually heavy touring schedule. Forced to leave the master recordings behind before Hurricane Katrina, she drove back into the city to retrieve them just three days after the levees broke. From there she headed back to overdub in her hometown of Buffalo with whatever instruments happened to be on hand.

Between the evacuation and the time off the road, Ani found herself concentrating on the process of recording to a degree she had never done before, and the resulting album is the clearest demonstration yet of her talents as a producer. Unconstrained by the pressures of touring, she was able to take her time with the record, and the end result is an overall sound that is clear and succinct.

While not intended to be taken as a concept album, the songs on Reprieve do provide a cohesive picture of what’s been on Ani’s mind during turbulent times on the personal, cultural, and global front.

Ani describes Reprieve as rooted in the Crescent City, and there’s a direct reference to that town in the album’s centerpiece, "Millennium Theater." The line "New Orleans bides her time" in the middle of this scathing critique of the current Republican regime might sound like a response to Hurricane Katrina, but in fact the song was written well before the disaster that has devastated the city, about a crisis that took no one but the presidential administration by surprise. Like just about everything else on Reprieve, "Millennium Theater" finds Ani speaking her mind, singing from her heart, and playing music like her life—like all of our lives—depended on it.

Ani DiFranco was a star from the get-go. It just took the world a little while to catch on to that fact. In 1990, folksingers didn't shave their heads, wear nose rings, or sing about the feelings in their jeans, but DiFranco did. Her bracing, punky stance hit just as hard on her debut as it does now--perhaps even more so, due to its freshness and DiFranco's uncompromising solo acoustic attack. These songs, all delivered with an absorbing passion and a palpable conviction, are the bedrock of her soaring career. Some, like the fantastic and challenging "Both Hands," still pop up in concert. --Michael Ruby

Out of Range marks the end of the first phase of Ani DiFranco's career, not so much in terms of the way she goes about her business (as always, on her own terms) but in terms of her songwriting, arranging, performing, and, to a greater extent than ever before, growing popularity. On Range, for the first time, DiFranco's songs sound like they wouldn't be out of place on the radio (in this case, that's a good thing); on the very first track, "Buildings and Bridges," she expresses herself with greater grace and subtlety than ever before. But the message is still loud and clear: she can take what the world will throw at her, and she will persevere. The rest of the album unfolds along similar lines and often reveals similar treasures. --Randy Silver

The mannered vocal style that has always been the most off-putting element of Ani DiFranco's music is still present on this two-disc live set, but for some reason it doesn't matter anymore. Maybe it's the way you can hear DiFranco using her breaths to accent a rhythm section that's downright merciless with its circling, pulsing, scary grooves. Or maybe it's the way, with an audience screaming, she pours heart and soul into "Unforgettable Face" and the story song "Gravel." Whatever, Living in Clip is the album where DiFranco begins to deserve her hype. And "Amazing Grace," backed by the Buffalo Philharmonic, is where she surpasses it. --David Cantwell

As she's gone from the Young Woman Who Could to the Woman Who Has, Ani DiFranco has explored more than her share of musical styles, all the while remaining true to her core. Even during her most extreme departures, you could hear the sound of the early albums coming through. On Little Plastic Castle, an album on which people are credited for adding pontifications, incantations, and an "evil machine" to songs, you could--for the first time--hear an almost completely new artist. Call her Ani, version 3; she couldn't have existed without hearing all of Ani, version 1's albums, and she wouldn't be as funky and experimental without the influence of Ani, version 2. She still has a lot to say--about politics, about relationships, about herself--but the messages aren't thrown in your face here (well, not as often). Instead they're wrapped in funky hooks and lots of production--anything you learn from DiFranco on this album will come from pure repetition, and for the first time, the album is varied enough, catchy enough, and subtle enough that you'll push the repeat button while cleaning the house. --Randy Silver

Throughout her career, Ani DiFranco has given her own take on tired rock star cliches. When other artists answered to major labels, she opted to start her own. While other guitarists relied on electric heroics, she pounded on a strangely tuned acoustic. And when faced with the task of releasing a career retrospective, Ani created anything but the traditional "greatest hits" package. With Canon, the double-disc set, fans will get an unprecedented look at how the artist sees her prolific career, and newcomers will get the ultimate primer in DiFrancology. Because like everything else she creates, Ani made this record to her precise specifications, carefully selecting 36 songs from her voluminous back catalog, including tunes from her first album and her 19th.

Ani DiFranco's fondness for cheeky self-effacement marks her fourth album, Not a Pretty Girl. Having redefined our whole concept of cult following, the funky, punky singer/songwriter has parlayed her prowess for six-string blues guitar into an unique alternative acoustic sound. This album marks real growth for the musician. Songs like the title track or "Worthy" are more fully realized than many of her earlier pieces that lean toward artful scat or spare guitar and vocal arrangements. It also precedes DiFranco's more experimental work, a characteristic recurrent with increasing frequency on subsequent recordings. --Nick Heil

Asian Version featuring Two Bonus Tracks: "Shameless (Bathtub Mix)", and "Joyful Girl (Peace and Love Mix)".

"I've got myself a new mantra," Ani DiFranco shares on her new studio album. "It says `Don't forget to have a good time.'" This attitude has clearly influenced the dozen tunes on Red Letter Year, which celebrate existence, profess love and tackle thorny political issues with an infectious sense of glee. It's one of Ani's most joyous records to date.

And it has been a long time coming. Red Letter Year was sculpted over the course of two years, a period in which Ani continued to hone her songwriting, performing and recording skills, all the while balancing her new role as a mom. "I think I sorely needed to be slowed down, and finally a little person came along powerful enough to do it," Ani reflects. The end result is an album of focused, layered, panoramic music.

Ani's band - upright bassist Todd Sickafoose, vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon and drummer Allison Miller - is a major source of Red Letter Year's singular personality. On "Emancipated Minor," Miller's driving beat tethers to Ani's killer electric guitar hook, while Sickafoose's bass adds the perfect counterpoint to Ani's acoustic guitar work on "Way Tight". And on "Alla This," Dillon's vibes are as rich and open-minded as Ani's defiant, anthemic lyrics.

Add to the inspired, re-invigorated Ani the uncanny production skills of Napolitano (Joseph Arthur, The Twilight Singers, Squirrel Nut Zippers), the otherworldly string arrangements of long time collaborator Sickafoose, and the inspired playing of guests such as Jon Hassell on trumpet (Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Ry Cooder), and you've got the makings of a DiFranco classic.