Ani DiFranco has released 13 albums on her label, Righteous Babe Records, but perhaps none have been so candid, so exhaustingly heartfelt and moving as this two-disc wonder, “Revelling/Reckoning.”
The range of reflection and emotion is so expansive one feels their mind and heart pulled in so many directions that it’s hard not to spontaneously combust in awed enchantment of this blessedly unique singer.
DiFranco is a one-of-a-kind musician. In a time bursting with boy bands and pop princesses, it’s refreshing to note there are a few performers out there who encompass what it truly means to be a musician. DiFranco not only sings; she writes, produces, arranges and expertly plays a multitude of instruments.
“Revelling/Reckoning” is a double album of all-new material. The collection of 29 songs is a musical journey through the distinctive mind of DiFranco.
The “Revelling” part of the album is DiFranco and her band marveling in the simple act of playing music. DiFranco shines solo on roughly half the album, while the other half features the members of her new band: Julie Wolf on keyboards, Jason Mercer on bass, Daren Hahn on drums, Hans Teuber on alto sax and Shane Endsley on trumpet. Their addition adds a bluesy powerhouse sound that grooves its way through 13 tracks filled with lyrical complexity and variety.
Her songs, though entirely personal, are universal in their feel. Love dominates quite a few of the tracks. “You were smoking me/Weren’t you?/Between your yellow fingers/You just inhaled and exhaled without saying a word” expresses the poignant song “Marrow.”
“It’s a heartbreak even situation/One part powerful elation/One part pitiful and frail/And I’m trying to feel my way around/A book of promises written in braille” reveals “Heartbreak Even,” the album’s first single hitting the radio waves today.
While “Revelling” is filled with effective, commanding instrumentation, “Reckoning” overflows with haunting, evocative whispers of song. “Reckoning” shows DiFranco coming to terms with herself and with the society in which she grew up.
“So What” displays a jazzy style that DiFranco toys with on several tracks. The fusion of jazz, blues and folk with rock are evidence of her evolution as an artist.
Don’t despair die-hard DiFranco fans, she is not lost. She is just finding more of herself as time goes on, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness through her music.
“Then suddenly I hear my guitar singing/And so I just start singing along/And somewhere in my chest/All the noise just gets crushed by the song.” Go buy her album today and get lost in the magic of her songs. You won’t be disappointed.
