Ani DiFranco, tirelessly endeavoring to slay "willful ignorance" while perpetually on tour, presents us with yet another introspective album exploring what it is to be Ani.
Educated Guess is a god-send for Ani fans everywhere after last year's less-than-stellar Evolve album. While Ani sought to expand her musical horizons drastically on Evolve with notions of expanding the pop and jazz in her acoustic-folky rock style, this year it is a return to the good ol' Ani whom dedicated listeners have come to know and love.
Ani's latest album is stripped down to the basics: straightforward, folkish-acoustic-rock tunes with jazzy notions here and there. Her songs speak of jumbled and ambiguous lovers, national and personal politics, and the multiple faces of Ani.
In addition to enjoying Ani's return to her grrl with guitar roots with Educated Guess, audiences will also get to don black turtlenecks and snap in tune to the singer's beatnik spoken word interludes. These poetic confections are truly what Ani fans everywhere have been waiting for. Occasionally a few of these appear in live performances, tickling aficionados' listening senses, but finally a couple have now been put to plastic, giving fans the opportunity to have Ani's words wash over them again and again.
"The True Story of What Was", puts the other spoken word tracks on Educated Guess to shame. Amongst quickly fleeting backup vocals and bebop trumpet, Ani describes herself having "conversations consisting/ of the kind of marks we make/ when we're trying to get a pen to work again". If only it didn't cut off after two minutes and flow into the droning and lamenting "Bodily."
With "Grand Canyon", Ani bridges patriotism and loyal opposition. "I love my country," the singer assures before launching into various issues and often painful politics, but then ends her exploration on a positive note, stating, "behold breathlessly the sight/ how a raging river of tears/ is cutting a grand canyon of light."
"Swim" and "Animal" highlight the album. Although "Swim" flows much smoother during Ani's incredible and inspired Central Park performance, it is still a fun, jazz-inflected, lilting sort of song. Ani, being a self-satisfying little woman, croons "...I finally drove out where/ the sky is dark enough to see stars/ and I found I missed no one/ just listening to the swishing of distant cars."
She gently introduces her audience to the politics of Ani in "Animal." Atop simple, humbling cords she nearly sighs, "Harm here is harm there /...and aggression begets aggression / it's a very simple lesson..."
In "Bliss like This," Ani is carefree for a change about the beginnings of a relationship and frolics about with delicate jazzy tones. "Origami" dramatically departs from the rest of the mode of the album. It conjures up the Ani of years past, except now her voice is reduced to a weak grumble, as opposed to an in-your-face growl.
While Ani might fall a bit short on the rest of Educated Guess, it is excusable because she has spent so many years continually touring and tirelessly recording album after album. For those who haven't experienced the mixed up and lovely world of the singer, get your hands on Little Plastic Castle or Living in Clip, a truly delightful live album.. Educated Guess is better than the listless Evolve, to be sure. Even Ani herself didn't touch much upon Evolve material during her performances last year.
While not her best, Educated Guess won't disappoint true Ani fans.
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