Ani DiFranco has once again made an album that will have a permanent place in your CD player.
On her new album, titled Knuckle Down, she gets back to a sound similar to her first few albums. Knuckle Down features DiFranco on her acoustic guitar. The bass and drums simply enhance her playing.
A few of the songs dabble in the electronica sound she has experimented with in past albums.
However, the two elements that have helped her gain and maintain a following are her distinctive voice and her lyrics. The lyrics are closer to modern prose than traditional lyrics that have verses and lyrics.
This is not to say that the songs aren’t catchy. After one time through the album you will have parts of songs in your head.
The songs range in subject from achingly melancholy to wryly hopeful and bitingly political. DiFranco continues her tradition of not shying away from any subject and being bluntly honest. However, what is absent from this album are her traditional girl-power songs.
One of the most beautiful, image-centric songs is track four, titled “Sunday Morning.” The song talks about the paradox of being over a relationship but still missing a person. “Sunday morning/you’re doing you thing/and I am doing mine/speaking words/more of a formality/cuz we can feel we are of one mind…I’ve done with your ghosts/still its Sunday morning/I miss you the most.” This song rings true with me, because no matter how over an ex-boyfriend I am, there are still moments that I miss him.
Track nine showcases her ability to illustrate concepts in poetry. The song called ” Callous” starts with the lyrics that immediately catch the listener’s attention. “You cried and you cried and you cried wolf/so it took me a minute to understand/that you were really hurt bad.”
These lines made me want to see what hurt bad and why had he cried wolf before. I was almost instantaneously emotionally involved in the song.
DiFranco’s other strength is story telling and all of her songs have some of this element.
But there are several songs on this album that clearly tell a story.
One of the best examples is “Paradigm,” on track 10. The song details her growing up as a child of immigrants and their enthusiasm for democracy. She recounts how her generation became politically cynical and jaded. This is song is not only well-written and beautiful but also incredibly relevant.
Track two shows how she has learned to use her voice as a tool and how well she can blend it with the instruments. The second verse of the song called “Studying Stones” illustrates this perfectly.
The CD itself is worth the price since it features her trademark, incredible lyrics and amazing vocals. Righteous Babe Records, her record company, is known for its total sensory packaging. And its packaging is worth the price of admission itself. The company prides itself on giving their customers a product worth their money. Even with the added cost of having such an in-depth packaging, the CD is no more expensive and in fact cheaper than many others at $15.
The CD case itself is a work art, full of art pictures done in green and blacks. The CD sleeve has all the lyrics and is on thick, “natural” paper. And interspersed with the lyrics are line drawings in gold ink. The entire product is a work of art.
