This album instantly cracked my Top 5 of favorite record. Ever since I picked this one up I've been obsessed with Ani DiFranco's amazing songwriting ability. The songs are so powerful and well thought out in Ani's unique mixture of folk, jazz, acoustic rock and alternative. The "Revelling" disc is more lyrical and musically more dynamic....the "Reckoning" disc puts the emphasis more on emotion, simplicity and melody. I'll review both discs.
Revelling disc:
01 Ain't That The Way
This is a very accessible straight up relaxing track with a catchy chorus featuring Maceo Parker on backing vocals. It's got some really cool brass and flute melodies. A great opener. 4/5
02 O.K
A very upbeat track with a nice energetic chorus. It's one of the few tracks with electric guitar. 3.5/5
03 Garden Of Simple
I love this one. Ani's acoustic rhythm guitar playing is amazing. It's one of those great road songs. The lyrics are awesome and meaningful...they really provoke alot of thoughts. 4/5
04 Tamburitza Lingua
The lyrics are spoken, like a poem. It's worth a listen despite the tracks repetition because of the great lyrics alone. 4/5
05 Marrow
Wow. This track is amazing. That clarinet/trumpet melody in the intro and outro is so soothing. Great lyrics, great singing and great musicianship. The bridge is amazing, with the brass and clarinets melodies building up, making the song more arranged as it carries on. One of my favorite Ani songs. 5/5
06 Heartbreak Even
Another great track, very uplifting and touching at the same time. A great song to wake up to. Some cool little flute and trumpet solo's near the end. One of my favs. 4.5/5
07 Harvest
A short instrumental where Ani plays all the instruments. 3/5
08 Kazoointoit
A very strange abstract song...never heard anything quite like it. It has a strange answering machine intro, and the vocals sound as if they are sung through a speaker. Sounds cool. 4/5
09 Whatall Is Nice
This is powerful stuff. Ani's acoustic and electric can both be heard in this track. It's a pretty somber track. The vocals are powerful. Amazing song. 4.5/5
10 What How When Where (Why Who)
A nice jazzy track that's pretty catchy. It has this nice little guitar sequence. I love it when it the beat stops with a break...Ani's vocals sound so amazing there...very jazzy and soulful. Cool saxophone solo after this part. 4/5
11 Fierce Flawless
Another upbeat track, the chorus is somewhat forced but it's still great stuff. The guitar is mostly complementary and most of the melody is focussed on the brass instruments. It has a short bass solo near the end. 3.5/5
12 Rock Paper Scissors
Another great jazzy track, but this one is pretty agressive. The rhythm playing Ani uses here reminds me alot of Joni Mitchells rhythm playing. Good song. 4/5
13 Beautiful Night
A beautiful soothing instrumental in which Ani plays bass, guitar, piano and drums/percussion. There is a pretty long trumpet solo adding a great touch...it's amazing. Great musicianship...great closer for disc 1. 4.5/5
Reckoning disc:
01 Your Next Bold Move
A great track...Ani's baritone guitar melody is produced wonderfully here. As always, very clever lyrics. Ani delivers a very soothing bass solo midway throught the song. Solid. 4/5
02 This Box Contains...
Guitar intermission worth a listen...definately not skippable. 3/5
03 Reckoning
An amazing free flowing 6 minute acoustic track with great vocals. I love the complementary brass melody in the chorus...it adds so much. One of the best songs by Ani in my opinion. Simply gorgeous. 5/5
04 So What
Another great song...I really like the clarinets touch on this one...and the trumpet is also very cool here. The chorus is very melodic and arranged...amazing. 4/5
05 Prison Prism
Another cool guitar instrumental. 3/5
06 Imagine That
This is probably my favorite guitar melody on this cd. This stripped down acoustic song not a really depressing, but the producion of this acoustic baritone track is so magical that it brings me to tears. I love Ani's unique fingerpicking style of guitar playing. I love the singing too. Very powerful yet intimate at the same time. 5/5
07 Flood Waters
Another cool guitar interlude. 3/5
08 Grey
A very depressing, beautiful song. The lyrics are more straight up than usual, and very heartfelt. It's more of a direct personal song, without clever metaphors or preaching about society and politics. That accordion solo just rips your heart out. 5/5
09 Subdivision
It starts and end with some interlude taken from another Ani record. The song itself is very soothing and relaxing, yet the lyrics are pretty confrontational, but suprisingly it works well. The acoustic guitar and the trumperists and clarinet playing blend in well. Another favorite of mine. 4.5/5
10 Old Old Song
Another acoustic track. Ani's voice has an echo-ing effect giving it a very depressing vibe. I love the piano touch in the verses...it's easy to play, but it adds alot to the song. 4/5
11 Sick Of Me
Another solid track...this has more of a country-ish vibe. Great vocals. 4/5
12 Don't Nobody Know
Another interlude 3/5
13 School Night
Another touching somewhat depressing track written in 3rd person. It's a beautiful song...with an amazing clarinet solo near the end that just catches the mood of the song so well. 4.5/5
14 That Was My Love
Another small guitar instrumental 2.5/5
15 Revelling
I love this tracks freeflowing-ness and unusual guitar melody. Ani's vocals are really jazzy and soulful on this one...great soothing listen. It's got a very soothing brass melody (I think it's a saxophone). 4/5
16 In Here
A cleverly written love song with an upbeat brass melody, and some cool percussion. Good enough album closer in my book. 3.5/5
It might take time to get into this record, since Ani doesn't write the most accessible music. But after three or four listens on each disc you will discover it's brilliance. Ani DiFranco can make you smile, weep, think or just kick back...and it's all on this two disc 28-track masterpiece. Rating: 4.5/5*
