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Avg: 4.5 (71 ratings)
- Date Released: May 21, 1996
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Singer-Songwriter
- Label: Righteous Babe Records
The sharp-tongued, fearlessly candid alt-folk legend still cuts deep
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We Say...
In truth, the legend of Ani DiFranco was writ about a minute-and-a-half into "Untouchable Face," with a tart, timeless, two-word kiss-off to an unreachable lover. When she's at her finest, this is what Ani accomplishes: unfiltered and unapologetic emotional candor and a whisper that disguises sharp teeth. All of that got lost in the hubbub about punk-folk and angry-chick chic that followed Dilate's 1996 release. It wasn't about the meaning anymore, it was about the methodology: She uses acoustic guitars and samples! It's supposed to be folk music, but she plays guitar like it's 1977! And for whatever regrettable trends DiFranco may have unwittingly spawned — chief among them, a brief resurgence in spoken-word poetry — all of what made her so remarkable in the first place is still here, some decade-plus on.
Some of it hasn't held up well; that samples 'n' acoustic number, "Outta Me, On to You," for example, is a clear product of the mid '90s. But much of the rest of Dilate still cuts deep: the acoustic guitar fluttering in the background of the title track, the anti-corporate bile bubbling around the edges of "Napoleon," the razor-wire guitar wrapped around "Shameless." Most of Dilate is big and brittle, DiFranco's clipped playing serving as a perfect complement to her raw-nerve lyrics and stuttering delivery. She also turns in moments of unexpected beauty. Album-closer "Joyful Girl" arrives like a prayer, calm and slow and lilting, as DiFranco delivers verses that could serve as her mission statement: "I do it for the joy it brings, because I am a joyful girl/ I do it because it's the least I can do/ I do it just because I want to." -
They Say...
Ani DiFranco doesn't really expand her sonic palette on Dilate, but she doesn't need to. DiFranco racked up a dedicated cult audience on the basis of her conviction. There's not much melody on any of her songs, but there are messages and, thankfully, a fair share of humor. Dilate suffers from a bit too much repetition, but when DiFranco lands on a good hook -- such as "Superhero" or "Done Wrong" -- the results suggest that she could reach a wider audience.
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You Say...
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| 01. |  |
Untouchable Face |
4:38 |  |
| 02. | |
Outta Me, Onto You |
4:36 | |
| 03. | |
Superhero |
4:45 | |
| 04. | |
Dilate |
4:50 | |
| 05. | |
Amazing Grace |
7:09 | |
| 06. | |
Napoleon |
6:24 | |
| 07. | |
Shameless |
4:51 | |
| 08. | |
Done Wrong |
6:32 | |
| 09. | |
Going Down |
4:49 | |
| 10. | |
Adam and Eve |
6:39 | |
| 11. | |
Joyful Girl |
5:06 | |
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Credits
- Ani DiFranco - Synthesizer // Ani DiFranco - Guitar (Acoustic) // Ani DiFranco - Bass // Ani DiFranco - Guitar // Ani DiFranco - Arranger // Ani DiFranco - Bongos // Ani DiFranco - Guitar (Electric) // Ani DiFranco - Guitar (Steel) // Ani DiFranco - Organ (Hammond) // Ani DiFranco - Vocals // Ani DiFranco - Piano (Thumb) // Ani DiFranco - Producer // Ani DiFranco - Sampling // Ani DiFranco - Main Performer // Ani DiFranco - ? // Ani DiFranco - Shaker // Ani DiFranco - Artwork // Ani DiFranco - Design // Ani DiFranco - Mixing // Ani DiFranco - Sequencing // Bob Doidge - Engineer // Mark Hallman - Engineer // Marty Lester - Engineer // Michael Ramos - Organ (Hammond) // Andy Stochansky - Drums // Ed Stone - Engineer // Chris Bellman - Mastering // Adam Pause - Artwork // Adam Pause - Design // David Travers-Smith - Trumpet // Mark Van-S - Photography // Robin Aubé - Engineer // Andrew Gilchrist - Engineer
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