If there’s one thing fans have come to expect from Ani DiFranco, it’s that each album will sound distinctly different from the next. With her latest album, Evolve, which hits shelves March 11, DiFranco continues her tradition of keeping listeners on their toes.
Seventeen albums in 13 years is an impressive feat for any artist, but that level of commitment is given a whole new meaning when one considers the fact that DiFranco not only records her own albums, but also owns her own record label (Righteous Babe Records), produces albums by spoken-word artist Utah Phillips and tours extensively. Add to the mix a unique musical style that has grown rather than dwindled in creativity over the years, and you have one very ambitious and talented woman.
Ever since DiFranco entered the music world with her 1990 self-titled debut album, people have recognized something special in the singer-songwriter. Whether it is her humor, political messages, way with words or wavering, unmistakable vocal style, there seems to be something in DiFranco’s music that appeals to everyone. Naturally, a legion of fans quickly sprang up around the folk heroine, and her fan base continues its strength today.
Evolve may be DiFranco’s most aptly titled album to date. In recent years, she has become far more versatile in the instrumental realm, adding everything from piano to vocals to hip-hop samples to her traditional and ever-present acoustic guitar and solo vocals. Evolve is no exception to this trend and continues it in an even more eclectic way.
In fact, some of the tracks on the album could be considered DiFranco’s most experimental. “O My My,” for example, is downright bluesy, with piano, bass and minimalistic drumming accompanying DiFranco’s trademark vocals. Saxophone and soft trumpet also play into the mix, adding a laid-back, jazzy feel to the tune.
“Shrug” uses a bit of the same formula, beginning with a solo saxophone, which is joined by a piano, then a bass, and finally hand drums and vocals. As the melody develops, listeners can hear a distinctive jazz influence beginning to make its way into DiFranco’s work.
“Here For Now” may be the album’s most blatantly jazz-influenced piece, as it has the sound of something one would hear in a classy martini lounge. The double-bass solo, followed by the addition of hand drums and vibes, sets up the Latin feel of the song.
Fans of DiFranco’s earlier work can rest assured — Evolve doesn’t stray away from the political arena. After all, as she says in a press release, “The personal and the political are of one realm; to separate them is artificial.”
The most touching example of DiFranco’s political commentary comes in the hauntingly beautiful, instrumentally sparse “Serpentine,” in which she sings: “And the Democrins and the Republicrats / are flashing their toothy smiles / and Uncle Tom is rigging cockfights / in the promised land.” The song is filled with more of the same, and by the end DiFranco has commented on everything from the music industry to feminism to capitalism to television.
The lyrics are delivered in DiFranco’s traditional spoken word/singing style, and the album truly wouldn’t be complete without the sadness, anger and frustration apparent in the track.
Truly, this mixing of art and politics may be what she does best. In the press release, DiFranco describes “Serpentine” as “basically a long poem that I spent months and months writing … At the end of that performance that appears on the record, I cried and cried. So I figured, ‘fine, I guess that’s it.'”
DiFranco has called Evolve her favorite of all her albums, and for good reason, as it retains all the elements that made her a great musician in the first place — beautiful music, her unique singing voice and political awareness. It also continues to encourage and add to the variety in instrumentation and musical style that has developed in DiFranco’s music over the years.
The album truly represents her evolution into the mature, relevant and versatile artist she is today.
Grade: A
