Ani di Franco's double live album combines classics with new hits
Aimee Senneville
Issue date: 10/1/02 Section: Features
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Five out of five stars
Ani di Franco is 32 years old, which is ancient in pop years. Ask any of her fans and they will tell you age doesn't matter. What does matter is her voice, her guitar and her message. Which is evident on her newest album, So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter.
So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter, (SMSSML), di Franco's newest album, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Indie Chart. It's a double live album and is an illustration of why di Franco is loved by so many. It's a combination of her classic songs, as well as newer material.
In "Self Evident," di Franco preaches to the crowd her feelings about Sept. 11th, the war on terror and politics in general. She says, "You can keep the Pentagon. You can keep the propaganda. You can keep each and every TV that has been trying to convince me to participate in some frat school punk's plan to perpetuate retribution."
The nine-minute poem covers everything from abortion rights to the pomposity of Americans. Her words pierce the air and drive a knife in the faces of what until now has been taboo, to speak out against the government that is supposed to be protecting us.
Di Franco's music is funky, blues, folk… in fact to categorize di Franco's music would be too difficult to try. She is backed by a six-piece band composed of Jason Mercer on bass, Julie Wolf on keyboards, Hans Teuber, Shane Endsley, Todd Horton and Ravi Best on Horns and Daren Hahn on drums.
Di Franco started up Righteous Babe Records in the face of numerous recording contracts from major labels. She has released 18 records in 11 years with no help (or interference) from record labels and currently has eight other artists on her label.
She is a vocal feminist, and her feelings on the matters that affect women ring through many of her songs. In "32 Flavors," she sings "Squint your eyes and look closer. I am not between you and your ambition. I am the poster girl with a poster. I am 32 flavors and then some. And I am beyond your peripheral vision so you might want to turn your head because one day you might find you are hungry and eat all of the words you just said."
The words of her songs speak to everyone, not just women. It would be easy to say that her audience consists mostly of the shaved-head, pierced feminine persuasion but that not the case. Both sexes make pilgrimage to her shows.
There have been many covers made of the things she has written.
The Impossebulls made a hip hop version of "Self Evident," Dave Matthews covered "Joyful Ride" and Alana Davis covered "32 Flavors."
She has worked with Prince (the artist formerly known as?), Bruce Springsteen and the Indigo Girls. She is active both politically and artistically and it's impossible to separate those two elements in her music.
She is a poet, she is a musician, she is a feminist, she is a wife and she is talking to you. She is Ani di Franco.
Ani di Franco is 32 years old, which is ancient in pop years. Ask any of her fans and they will tell you age doesn't matter. What does matter is her voice, her guitar and her message. Which is evident on her newest album, So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter.
So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter, (SMSSML), di Franco's newest album, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Indie Chart. It's a double live album and is an illustration of why di Franco is loved by so many. It's a combination of her classic songs, as well as newer material.
In "Self Evident," di Franco preaches to the crowd her feelings about Sept. 11th, the war on terror and politics in general. She says, "You can keep the Pentagon. You can keep the propaganda. You can keep each and every TV that has been trying to convince me to participate in some frat school punk's plan to perpetuate retribution."
The nine-minute poem covers everything from abortion rights to the pomposity of Americans. Her words pierce the air and drive a knife in the faces of what until now has been taboo, to speak out against the government that is supposed to be protecting us.
Di Franco's music is funky, blues, folk… in fact to categorize di Franco's music would be too difficult to try. She is backed by a six-piece band composed of Jason Mercer on bass, Julie Wolf on keyboards, Hans Teuber, Shane Endsley, Todd Horton and Ravi Best on Horns and Daren Hahn on drums.
Di Franco started up Righteous Babe Records in the face of numerous recording contracts from major labels. She has released 18 records in 11 years with no help (or interference) from record labels and currently has eight other artists on her label.
She is a vocal feminist, and her feelings on the matters that affect women ring through many of her songs. In "32 Flavors," she sings "Squint your eyes and look closer. I am not between you and your ambition. I am the poster girl with a poster. I am 32 flavors and then some. And I am beyond your peripheral vision so you might want to turn your head because one day you might find you are hungry and eat all of the words you just said."
The words of her songs speak to everyone, not just women. It would be easy to say that her audience consists mostly of the shaved-head, pierced feminine persuasion but that not the case. Both sexes make pilgrimage to her shows.
There have been many covers made of the things she has written.
The Impossebulls made a hip hop version of "Self Evident," Dave Matthews covered "Joyful Ride" and Alana Davis covered "32 Flavors."
She has worked with Prince (the artist formerly known as?), Bruce Springsteen and the Indigo Girls. She is active both politically and artistically and it's impossible to separate those two elements in her music.
She is a poet, she is a musician, she is a feminist, she is a wife and she is talking to you. She is Ani di Franco.