Explain what you hate about Ani DiFranco.

The argument that "she needs a good editor" seems to be used only because she releases so much. Her double album from 2 years ago is almost flawless as far as I'm concerned and I can listen to both discs in a row very easily; by comparison her single-disc release this year seemed very flat, and was a real stretch to listen to all the way through. Which makes me think that she doesn't need an editor so much as an advisor, to tell her which deliberate decisions she makes (in terms of lyrical content, stylistic twists, etc. etc.) are good and which are bad.

The album that's coming out in January is astounding. With anything after Not a Pretty Girl, I've sort of forced myself to listen to it, to wade through the over-instrumentation and softening to find great songs within the mush. I didn't have to put any work into Educated Guess. Over the years, she's achieved focus with her lyrics, while becoming more vague -- her songs used to be all over the place in terms of content, though incredibly specific, and now they're just sort of about one thing and vague in themselves. Because the entire album, save two political tracks, is about her divorce, she's shading and making this multi-faceted take on the whole ordeal. Plus, she recorded it all herself, so while she's not entirely back to slashing and burning with her guitar, it definitely feels old school and lean and like a complete return to form.

And, she often sounds like Prince.

I think it took her eight years to make a great album again. I'm just happy that she still has it in her.

I personally really love like almost everything she's ever done, but I think my favorite of her material always seems to be the broken-hearted stuff.

Nobody ever talks about this. They talk about her politics, her sexual preferences, her lyrics, her songwriting, her label, etc. Ani's a good guitar player.

I guess there's a lot of hate fodder, but I interviewed her once for a TV show and she was sweet, accomodating, forthcoming.

And she scores extra points for publishing Hamell on Trial.

One of the things that originally turned me on to her was her distinct vocal cadence & idiosyncratic style, honestly. I think the thing I most love about it is that she feels actually affected by what she's singing, she doesn't feel detached from her own voice like many other singers.

Right now I think "Dilate" is maybe my favorite, she sounds like she's breaking down midway through it, but then when the lyricless singing parts come through it's so friggin' triumphant.

I've mostly avoided her after knowing too many of the aforementioned tunnel-vision fans.

**Incidentally, two of my best friends are a couple (lesbians) who don't like Ani DiFranco either.

the world's last minority

Ann, you misogynist!

I made a compilation of Ani's best jazzy/balladic stuff for my boyfriend - who was suspicious because of the uncritical love by lesbians - and I surprised myself at how totally unlike the public idea of Ani it was.

-- Kenan Hebert (edito...), November 10th, 2003."

Oh, c'mon, I want to kick Darren Spooner down the stairs after her...

I am bothered by:
*her weird vocal affect
*her guitar tone (thuddy, jarring)
*her general aversion to melody

I am much more bothered by:
*listening to people trying to imitate her weird vocal affect at open-mic nights
*listening to sound engineers at my college tweak the EQ on any acoustic guitar to make any acoustic guitar to make it sound like hers
*her popularity among my ex-boyfriends

"Folky Drivel" would be a great name for a record label. Better than "Righteous Babe", at any rate.

Now where did I put that "A Mighty Wind" DVD?

Although maybe she's hot. Is she?

What irks me is the seemingly endless parade of Ani wannabes, and lest you think I'm dealing in strawmen here, I sat through more than my fair share of them during my open mic-attending college days. All of the fire, twice the passion, but not a single coherent statement, engaging lyric, or memorable melody in the bunch.

I also have a funny story involving her ex-drummer, but that's another rant for another time.

This is the red light.

And while it's unfair to blame a musician for their imitators, gawd she has the worst.

I haven't listened to ani in literally years but for some reason I've had a couple of her songs running through my head the last couple days. I spent a while being really into the stuff she realeased in the late 90s and as annoying as I eventually grew to find her whole shtick, she's a talented woman. Also, seeing her play this in NM in 1998 was one of the two times I've cried at concerts. It was incredible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwEI6UNMkag&feature=related

so cleaning out my section of the office I found an unopened promo copy of Evolve beneath a pile of folders.

Tim says it's bleh. Should I try it?

Ask John maybe, I got rid of that one years ago.

Knuckle Down from a few years afterwards was great though.

boy Jon Hassell sounds great on "Pulse."

It seems like she was popular because she presented a confident image and said what a lot of young women needed/wanted to hear. As a songwriter and performer I find her abysmal -- obvious, didactic lyrics with awkward phrasing, worst guitar tone I can imagine, not catchy

good to know dude

Explain what you hate about Ani DiFranco.

Casual fan here, albeit one who hasn't heard anything she's put out since around the turn of the millennium, but there there is a certain type of gay guy who is obsessed with her that was a bit annoyingly overrepresented in my social circle for a while.

Ani's in that select group of people I hate but have no desire to slag in public

(i do not consider hurting's post a slag btw)

the new album is great

The first half sounds like she has been listening to D'Angelo.

Agree this is great, trying to decide whether it's her best since Knuckle Down or Red Letter Year or Allergic to Water (though really the albums after Knuckle Down tend to blur together for me).

Am I inventing this memory or did she complain that Eno “stole” her observation that the Eventide H3000 Ultra Harmonizer sounds great when you overdrive it?

I can’t find it anywhere on the internet right now. And yeah, dudes take credit for women’s ideas all the time. But even still, this is some weak sauce.

"shrinking violet" is achingly perfect. it's like "if i believe you" (the 1975) mixed with "tolerate it" (taylor swift)

There's nothing I can say
Beyond this whispered wish
Your anger has a hunger, mister
And I'm its favourite dish
There's nothing I can say
So I don't make a sound
I just wipe the counter and I
I keep my head down

The last Secondary English Curriculum I used incorporated the lyrics of her song “Amendment” and asked students to analyze the language she employed. I got more out of it than the kids, but they’re apathetic to everything

Gotta say I did not expect to see much Ani love on ilm, but heartened nonetheless. I listened to her a ton in college, then fell away for a bit but have been paying more attention to her recent stuff. Hoping to get my copy this weekend.

"shrinking violet" is achingly perfect. it's like "if i believe you" (the 1975) mixed with "tolerate it" (taylor swift)

OTM but also lol at this Beatlejuice-like attempt to manifest Brad in this thread.

I realized that I hated my roommate 26 years ago when he asked me if I liked Annie. Me thinking Annie Lennox replied, “Oh my God I totally love her!” and then he started playing Ani Difranco… 🤢

Ani Difranco has no redeeming qualities to my ears. Sorry to those who like her but fingers on a chalkboard are more appealing than her incessant whining and dreadful stream of consciousness word vomit.