ANI DIFRANCO
Reprieve
Righteous Babe
· The ultimate righteous babe dazzles yet again.
Quirky, musically sharp and always beautiful to listen to, Ani DiFranco delights and impresses on her latest, Reprieve. As per usual, every track on Reprieve is personal, intense and remarkable.
The album starts with "Hypnotized," a simple guitar and vocals song with few effects and a whimsical essence. A softer side of DiFranco shines through as her melodious voice sings, "I was no picnic and I was no prize/ But I had just enough sweetness to keep you hypnotized." "Decree" is moving and has quiet guitar and gentle drums. DiFranco sounds like a ferocious beat poet without even raising her voice with righteous, angry, statements about feminism and the injustices in celebrity-obsessed American culture.
"Millennium Theater" is a poignant song, both delicate and potent, and has DiFranco listing off some of the atrocities of the 21st century. A brilliant lyricist, her perceptions on everything from relationships to politics are bang-on and wickedly astute. She also plays a mean guitar – mixing it up with different tunings and picking styles. On top of writing and guitar, her voice is a talent unto itself. Soft, yet powerful, her range and style is understated, but great.
Reprieve is an exceptional album, full of spirited and forceful observations but, as always, DiFranco has just enough sweetness to keep us all hypnotized.
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