Ani DiFranco
Knuckle Down (Righteous Babe)
By Cole Haddon
Published: June 9th, 2005 | 11:10am
The first time you listen to Ani DiFranco’s newest offering, Knuckle Down, a single thought crosses your mind. The second time, that thought — a sort of vague swirling in the frontal lobe — begins to take shape. You can almost taste the words on the tip of your tongue. Third time, though, it hits you. DiFranco has done something remarkable, a first in her long, prolific, and distinguished career: She's created an album disappointingly familiar yet utterly new in so many different ways.
The old Ani is still there, still as present as her percussive guitar work, in fact, but there’s a new presence that — given today’s musical machine — might go unregistered by new fans. It’s the old fans who will hear it; the polish that nips at the edge of her vocals and adds a glowing luster to the musical arrangements. Notorious for an under-produced, indie-glam sound, DiFranco brought in a second set of producer’s ears this time around — fellow musician Joe Henry — and the results are subtle but thunderous.
No, that doesn’t mean aural gimmickry. There’s no excessive knob-turning here, no layering of vocal tracks. But it does mean that what was once thought virtuoso now comes into an unexpected focus, a crystallizing effect triggered by DiFranco’s sudden need for collaboration — and not just with Henry. Eight other musicians provide accompaniments here, which, like Henry, bring new life to the same old-same old.
Not that the familiar is so bad, especially when it’s done this consistently well.
Issue #29
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