Dilate - Ani DiFranco

This is Ani DiFranco’s 1996 release on her Righteous Babe Records label. It is, quite frankly, one of the greatest albums I have heard in the last decade. Ani DiFranco boasts a heavy folk music influence, but also incorporates a bit of jazz, blues, and a slight hint of funk to create her own unique, and diverse, style.

This record opens with ’’Untouchable Face’’ - a deceptively soft ballad that has a strong underlying feeling of rage. ’’F you, and your untouchable face, and f you for existing in the first place.’’ This is Ani’s ’’angry woman song’’ - much like Alanis Morissette’s ’’You Oughta Know’’ in the mid-90s. From there, Ani’s acoustic and electric guitar work takes several different turns. She goes to a medium pace with her electric guitar on ’’Napoleon’’ - a song about the evils of the music industry. Ani’s voice - popular for its extreme ranges from high lilts to deep, throaty growls - goes to a medium lilt with a slightly-annoyed undertone for this track. Another memorable track is Ani’s version of ’’Amazing Grace.’’ She has extended it, adding church bells in the background along with a slick drum beat to give it a very memorable, more modernized aura. Emotions run strong and free on this record, as with all of Ani’s other work. She is not hesitant to express anger, frustration, hopelessness, depression, or joy through the music she creates. A wonderful example of this is ’’Superhero’’ on which DiFranco effortly shifts from angst to self-ridicule. ’’You were like a phonebooth that I somehow stumbled into, and now look at me, I am just like everybody else...’’ Powerful, well-written verses spawned of Ani’s creative mind make her work special to listeners because it causes us to give her messages a second thought. Buy this record for the insights revealed by this masterfully skilled poet and musician. Keep it for the snappy, constantly-evolving musical styles that she displays. Play it over and over again for the memories that it will create with you. Trust me, this is a must-have!

TRACK LISTING:

1. Untouchable Face

   
   




2. Outta Me Into You

   
   




3. Superhero

   
   




4. Dilate

   
   




5. Amazing Grace

   
   




6. Napoleon

   
   




7. Shameless

   
   




8. Done Wrong

   
   




9. Going Down

   
   




10. Adam and Eve

    
    




11. Joyful Girl

    
    

* For more information about Ani DiFranco or her label, Righteous Babe Records, please visit: https://righteousbabe.com