¿Which Side Are You On?
Artist: Ani DiFranco
Label: Shock Records
Website: righteousbabe.com/ani/
Still as
relevant as ever
On Ani
DiFranco's 17th album, ¿Which Side
Are You On?, balance, as she sings repeatedly on the the fourth
track "Splinter", seems to be the lens through which she recorded this
record.
Amidst
the reworked and raucously political title
track that
was once popularized by Pete Seeger in the sixties and songs like
"Amendment" are beautiful and intimately lyrical melodies like the
"Albacore" and "Hearse", the later reinforcing the theme of balance
with the honestly sung lyric "there is nothing like dancing our dance
of give and take".
Fans of
Ani's work are familiar with songs as
rally cries for justice and human rights, however, tracks like the
aforementioned "Amendment" highlight the natural progression of
politics for women as our passions become fueled by our perspectives as
partners, mothers and sisters in arms. The song, which tackles
everything from the ERA, to abortion, to the culture of birth in our
society, boasts the lyric "our family is so big and we're all so very
small, let a web of relationship be laid over it all" this perhaps
being Ani's reaffirmation that "it takes a village".
While ¿Which
Side Are You On? is a solid offering from the Righteous Babe
herself it remains to be seen how many new fans are drawn in by this
record.
As a fan of Ani D's since the early 90's, this album continues in the same vein of calling on us to be better human beings with her easily recognizable voice and well known guitar chords. So, just as she brings us out on "Splinter" - "here's to staying connected to everything".
Christopher Anthony
For more of Christopher Anthony's music reviews, check out The Fire Note