Review: Reprieve - Ani DiFranco

Prolific Artist Paints a Poetic Canvas

To say that Ani DiFranco has had a prolific career is to offer quite an understatement. After producing eighteen critically acclaimed albums in sixteen years on a self-started record label, appearing on a number of compilations, having songs covered by The Dave Matthews Band and Chuck D, and continuing to nurture a growing fan base in spite of a lack of mainstream radio play, DiFranco has carved out quite a niche for herself. Now, with the release of her new album, Reprieve, she continues to defy expectations and offer up top-notch, thoughtful recordings.

DiFranco is first and foremost a poet, and the thirteen tracks on this album serve to provide a canvas for her to paint. With thematic elements ranging from romantic entanglements and growing older to political spin machines and feminism, she skillfully frames pictures for us to see and ponder. For example, "Subconscious" seemingly shares a heart that is set on change, on forging ahead to something new and learning from past mistakes:

And I ain't in the best shape
That I've ever been in
But I know where I'm going
And it ain't where I've been
I know where I'm going
And it ain't where I've been

"Nicotine" is a track that alludes to the addictive nature of some love relationships, in which we both love and hate the one we're with. "A Spade" deals with the issue of war, as both poetry and social commentary reign supreme here:

I will not lie down
On the wrongful groundwork laid
While it's still a radical sound
Just to call a spade a spade
Dear friends, women and men
What better time to face
That we've been looking for
The answer to war
In the wrong place

Additionally, DiFranco is not without some musical chops as well. Each and every tune is accented and supported by her skillful acoustic guitar work. This acoustic, almost jazz-like staging, provide the platform for the extra elements. The artist offers us some creative overdubs and a nice utilization of various instruments including piano, Wurlitzer and pump organs, and some ambient sounds as well. The simple, seemingly intentional sparse arrangements serve to offer a voice to the lyrics, making them the star of the show.