No, she doesn’t wear a yellow skull cap or FuBu tracksuit, this is Ani Di not Ali G. “Educated Guess” is Ani DiFranco’s 18th full studio album. The album kicks off with a spoken word introduction stating “we’re closer to the ground now”. And she certainly is, recording the album on vintage reel-to-reel equipment in a shack in New Orleans and back home in Buffalo.
The 8-track used not only gives Ani direct delivery, but incorporates other accidential accompanyments like the rain and passing trains. This ‘solo’ album takes the meaning literally. Ani plays all instruments, sings and provides backing vocals. The recording and mixing was also Ani’s doing, just leaving the mastering to Greg Calbi.
Spoken word track “The true story of what was” is just a collection of recollections, which lead into the haunting, yet beautiful “Bodily”. Ani has lost non of her political edge since she first pressed up 500 self titled cassettes 15 years ago.
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“Grand Canyon” addresses true patroitism “to all the people throughout history, who have faught the government to make it right”. Ani DiFranco keeps releasing material at an astonishing rate, and this is as relevant and uncompromising as ever.
By being a true one woman show, her creative freedom shines through in an otherwise lacklustre spell at present in the female singer-songwriter genre. Contender for album of the year? Take an Educated Guess… this one.
If you like this, try these:
Fiona Apple – “When the pawn…”
Aimee Mann – “Lost in space”
Tori Amos – “Little Earthquakes”
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