 | |
List Price: $16.98 | | Label: Righteous Babe
Salesrank: 3834
Released: September 30, 2008 |
| Our Price: $9.25 |
| Used Price: $2.99 |
|
| Media: Audio CD |
|
Red Letter Year Track Listing:
1. Red Letter Year
2. Alla This
3. Present/Infant
4. Smiling Underneath
5. Way Tight
6. Emancipated Minor
7. Good Luck
8. The Atom
9. Round A Pole
10. Landing Gear
11. Star Matter
12. Red Letter Year Reprise
Editorial Review:
"I've got myself a new mantra," Ani DiFranco shares on her new studio album. "It says `Don't forget to have a good time.'" This attitude has clearly influenced the dozen tunes on Red Letter Year, which celebrate existence, profess love and tackle thorny political issues with an infectious sense of glee. It's one of Ani's most joyous records to date.
And it has been a long time coming. Red Letter Year was sculpted over the course of two years, a period in which Ani continued to hone her songwriting, performing and recording skills, all the while balancing her new role as a mom. "I think I sorely needed to be slowed down, and finally a little person came along powerful enough to do it," Ani reflects. The end result is an album of focused, layered, panoramic music.
Ani's band - upright bassist Todd Sickafoose, vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon and drummer Allison Miller - is a major source of Red Letter Year's singular personality. On "Emancipated Minor," Miller's driving beat tethers to Ani's killer electric guitar hook, while Sickafoose's bass adds the perfect counterpoint to Ani's acoustic guitar work on "Way Tight". And on "Alla This," Dillon's vibes are as rich and open-minded as Ani's defiant, anthemic lyrics.
Add to the inspired, re-invigorated Ani the uncanny production skills of Napolitano (Joseph Arthur, The Twilight Singers, Squirrel Nut Zippers), the otherworldly string arrangements of long time collaborator Sickafoose, and the inspired playing of guests such as Jon Hassell on trumpet (Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Ry Cooder), and you've got the makings of a DiFranco classic.
Red Letter Year Reviews:
Not the Ani Difranco I remember... 
2009-12-04 - Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find a free Ani Difranco download, but after my first listen of this track I have to say I'm pretty disappointed.
Ok, obviously, this is nothing like her old stuff and by itself that isn't a problem for me. But beyond that, I still didn't really care for it. I found it really repetative. There are bits and pieces in the song that remind me of how good this song COULD have been. Oh well.
Another dose of TRASH fron a Once Amazing Artist 
2009-10-18 - Ani has become the Lindsey Buckingham of her generation. Once an amazing guitarist and lyricist with wicked hooks and brilliant metaphors and use of symbolic visuals, she is now one step away from puting out an over-produced album of her banging on pots and pans with her "band-mates" howling in the background and playing xylophones. Everything since Evolve has been complete trash. And don't think she doesn't know it. How many more live albums does she have to put out to cover the wasted effort of all her new stuff. I have seen Ani in concert over 20 time over the past 15 years but after seeing her last year I cant take it anymore- It's like going to the funeral of someone you once admired and loved. Please Ani, pick up a guitar again and take another creative writing class at the New School or NYU, or maybe just walk down a ghetto street- please do something to get it back, cause baby, you have lost it- take that metaphorically if you like...
Not what I had hoped.
2009-08-08 - I used to LOVE Ani, but she lost me at to the teeth. Her voice really began to become injured, and the music became far too overproduced. She continues this trend with this album. Hopefully some day she will get back to where she excelled- but this album, unfortunately, is not it. That comment is not just for her voice and the overall music production, but the songwriting. Better luck next time, I hope!
Somewhat Alienating 
2009-06-17 - I've been a hard core Ani fan for over a decade and have all her albums (except this one which after listening to it a couple of time I've decided I will not buy). There were always people around to say how her work was getting worse- blah blah. I loved all her albums. My least favorite being To the Teeth which I still liked enough to buy & listen to over & over. Well that's not my least favorite album anymore. I was surprised by the stellar reviews- until I actually read some of them. Even people who give this album 5 stars are stating it's her worst. Some say that they hated it the first 5 - 10 times they listened to the album, but now they love it??? If you have to make yourself listen to an album that many times to make yourself enjoy it there's something wrong with it, sorry. I suppose the ratings are given out of loyalty to the artist from her fans. I can certainly understand that, but I try to be objective myself regardless of how it hurts me to give my favorite artist only 2 stars.
The problem I have with red letter year is many of the songs lack alot of the poetry that Ani has been known for. She just comes out and says that War Sucks, That Republicans Suck, that Anti-Feminism sucks... A lot of it is just flat out her opinion (which we ALL know by now) being stated. And though I agree with her ideals it really gets old hearing the same stuff over and over after so many albums. After listening to this album I started thinking about why it is her earlier work continues to be popular while her later work falls by the way-side. The problem is that Ani's work has become more and more complex. In every art form the masters always say that simplicity is key. The best & most renowned chefs make their recepies as simple as possible, The best painters and sculptures use the simplest techniques, The best poets often use the most basic vocabulary- In music it is the same way. Very often a basic accoustic guitar with a slow & romantic tone is more moving than the most synthasized and worked with piece. Ani was simpler- more basic then. She has evolved well through the years and has added a little spice now and then- but this album is more bulk than spice. It seems that Ani believes that the more complex you get the more you're growing as an artist and most masters would disagree with that concept. The fact that she makes so many songs about what "she" thinks in so many words can come across a bit narcisistic and deprives the listener from being included at times. Regardless of the fact that I believe in her idealisms, who wants to sit there and listen to anyone rant about what 'they personally' believe for hours on end? What another reviewer said about Ani's feminism lyrics has some truth to it. I definitely consider myself a hard-core feminist, but some of her lyrics in this album can come across as anti-man. I don't think Ani realizes how many male fans she has. Though you see mostly woman at her concerts here in nyc her I once knew a few heterosexual guys who collected all her albums and proudly displayed them. I found this album to be alienating both musically and lyrically. I still love this Ani and when people ask about my favorite musical artist she's still my #1, but I'm sad to say this will be the firt & only Ani cd not to be found in my collection.
Red is the color of love! 
2009-04-10 - Ani Difranco has a lot to sing about. Our generational troubadour is seeing the prime of her life as she basks in the glow of motherhood. Our government is more corrupt than ever, this lends a whole arsenal of funked out Anified tunes to enlight the masses of the misgivings of our ruler of the white race.
From first listen I was so sold on this album, Ani in her utter brilliance released the album for free on her website ([...]) so her fans could embrace, devour and dissect her latest incantation to the goddess. The first song is sets the tone for the album. Hardcore fans will note that she included a live version of this song on her 2007 "Reprieve (Bonus Version)" album, but the studio is masterfully crafted and delivers a whallop of poetic genius.
I think Ani is ready to make it to the big time, mainstream success, this album is jam packed with promise. It drips with a kind of passion that we only have heard in little packets previously from this folkish siren. I mean, sit down and listen to "Alla This" I recommend headphones and a glass of wine. She is speaking volumes in an orchestral anthem of freedom, free thought, and self salvation.
I saw ani recently when she played the Cain's Ballroom, here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she was amazing. For some artist (sarah mclaughlin comes to mind) motherhood sorta seems to be restraining to their creative flow but, ani seems to flourish in her new mommy duds. Both on the record and live Ani delivers the goods on "Smiling Underneath" which is a textured layer of of relentless ear candy.
I will admit I am an Ani fan through and through. I loved her from the first time I heard her sing "As Is" from the "Little Plastic Castle" album. She has never failed to impress me both in concert and in her albums. For my sisters who have left the Ani trail due to her escapades into heterosexuality I beg you to give "red letter year" a chance. You won't be sorry.
