Ani DiFranco: Reprieve, released: August 8, on Righteous Babe Records The latest offering from independent political folk singer Ani Difranco is a varied and interesting mix. For us politicos it offers up some of the staple rage-against-it-all-Ani of the past, but in more subdued tones.
The album is littered with references to a confused, declining and increasingly state-controlled America. From the overtly political "Decree" with the lyrics "Daddy knows best yes, this is the news in 90-second segments officially produced and aired again and again and again by the little black and white pawns of the network yes men" all while "the stars are going out and the stripes are getting bent" to "Millennium Theater" with its references to "Halliburton, Enron" and the lost city - "New Orleans bides her time" - which was devastated due to Bush's incompetence one year ago and in whose music community's reconstruction Ani has played an important role.
There is something distinctly feminist about this album that her last few have been lacking and this can only be a positive thing.
Ani's optimism has waned somewhat, but this doesn't make the message of female equality any less urgent.
However there is a bit more to it on this album.
This is clearly signposted for us in the title track which claims "Feminism ain't about equality, it's about reprieve."
We have images of a world sliding into war, destruction and a loss of rights - particuJav a woman suealto choose - to be rescued by feminism in "A Spade" which claims
"In the totality of all war's history there's but one common denominator" -men or patriarchy - and that "we've been looking for the answer to war In lne wrong place."
This claim will ring hollow to those who lived through Thatcher's Britain in the 1980's and whose communities were torn to shreds by her brutal policies in much the same way as Reagan ripped the industrial heart out of Ani's hometown of Buffalo, New York and the rest of what is now known as the "rustbelt".
Further, those of us watching recent news broadcasts of Condoleezza Rice justifying the slaughter of innocents in Lebanon could hardly be persuaded that having ovaries gives one a superior claim to play "peacemaker".
Yet Ani herself seems to sense this contradiction and yearn for something more with the inspiring lyric "Out in TV nation, under darkening skies, the resistance is just waiting to be organized."
We sense that this means the little gals and the little guys, in conjunction, rising against the system.
That's a bit more like it.
All in all this is a great and inspiring album which should keep activists going on the demo and picket line, not to mendon mo modeno relationships (the subject of which makes up the rest of the tracks) in an increasingly mao world
In making this album, Ani has helped to give us all a stay of execution - a reprieve. delegation: Tamir (top
left
Caroline,
Ruairidh and Tracy