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Educated Guess

Ani DiFranco - Educated Guess Audio CD

A fair review of the Ani DiFranco "Educated Guess" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Ani DiFranco reviews here, or go back to the Ani DiFranco tabs.

Band: Ani DiFranco
Title: Educated Guess
Rating:

Release Date: 2004-01-20
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Platforms 2: Swim 3: Educated Guess 4: Origami 5: Bliss Like This 6: True Story Of What Was 7: Bodily 8: You Each Time 9: Animal 10: Grand Canyon 11: Company 12: Rain Check 13: Akimbo 14: Bubble

Mainly guessed right
DiFranco has hardly shied away from melodic or vocal overemphasis her whole career; but when she utilizes her talents in less restrictive ways such as here, listeners not wanting to box her in will be rewarded with many admirable trimmings around some obvious overcooked elements. 3 1/2

To dismiss the majority of this adventurous advertised return to form of stripped down acoustics as overindulgent seems like a mistake. .

Ani in desperate need...

I like rock Ani. I love Ani. I like Jazz Ani. I like angry Ani. I like cute Ani. And hey, even when she's on a bandwagon that went right on passed by because life got in the way, i still like where her head is at. But. . . Oh my is she in need of an editor on this work.

It's acoustic Jazz Ani at her rambling worst. Words spill out, the guitar plinks (technical term, literally means "turn that crap off!") 'Tunes' meander with no purpose. Is this chill out? Is it supposed to be deep? Sounds like lack of focus to me. Or middle age tempering the fire that once raged?

The FeminAniNazi's will rail, of course, but this CD has none of the spirit of her early output, none of the focus of her Rock stuff. None of the heart achingly beautiful introspection of her turn of the century works. And none of the slinky cool of her Jazzy work, man.

For die hards only, then. But do remember that one Ani is still better that a thousand Alanis's. This one is just worth slightly less, 871 Alanis's perhaps :o)

Addendum: Since reviewing this disc Ani has released a further two albums, Knuckle Down and Reprieve. Both, i am pleased to say, are a 5 star return to form.

i really like it!!
But I do think this is possibly one of my favorite of her albums, especially when i am in that mood, it is kind of a low key album. First of all, i do not think this sounds like a return to ani's her and her guitar albums.
i really love animal. . . it proves that all the songs are not about a sad part of her life.
it is a different album, of course, but after a couple listens, i loved it!!.

Beautiful solitude
In this album Ani does it all by herself: lyrics and music (as usual), production, mastering, mixing. . and the result is undoubtedly beautiful. The melodies are sweet and flawless, the poems are strong and direct, the voice effects are enchanting. This is not the Ani you may be used to, but it's still empowering how she deeply and bravely analyzes and faces her feelings and sorrow.

Stand-out tracks: Educated Guess, a mantric meditation about life and love, Swim, a bitter flash-back in a difficult love story, Origami, a powerful statement of man fragility and woman strength, Animal, a sad and sincere analysis of American society, and Raincheck, a gorgeous, jazzy song about a possible new love.

Do yourself a favor and buy this wonderful album, and listen to it when you're in a meditative, introspective mood: this is still, indeed, one of Ani's 32 flavors. .

Emotional Workshop
Then I listened to Knuckle Down, just last year. I came across Ani Difranco's music through covers by guitar slinging folk girls, woman who were quite good at what they did and honored their influences. I was like, oh, so this is Ani Difranco. An all-powerful Amazon warrior, not just some sniveling girl (to quote the girl herself, all irony intended). With needs. And, I think, that is what Educated Guess is about: needs, needs not met, needs that expose us, and, finally, make or break us.

If you're a fan of Difranco, you should appreciate this disc. It plays like a workshop, working through themes and ideas in her Ani accents, the language, the music, etc. Educated Guess shows the artist at work on some heavy emotional stuff, personal themes that are still open-ended enough to let the listener in. I think the disc and Knuckle Down are A and B sides of a whole emotional/creative gestalt. What she voices in Educated Guess is presented much more stylistcally in Knuckle Down, the more accomplished release only because she band jams and has polished the material with a bit of emotional distance.

Educated Guess is about working through, feeling your way as an artist. Origami articulates succinctly what went down in this girl's heart. A powerful, accomplished woman will surely find it difficult to be with someone. That other person has to complete you in some way, and, well, we know that story. Animal is a sweet swipe at our fatted-calf way of life. Really, you hear the Difranco politics stated clearly, quietly, beautifully. And You Each Time ends with Ani's voice looping back through like a delicate heartbeat that goes on after the music and all else dies.

If there's one thing you take from this release it's Ani's voice, looping in and out in all variety of echos and choruses. She sings to herself and questions herself and answers herself. Her voice is worked through effects in that whacked way she uses perfectly in Knuckle Down. It's all here, the creative tools and stuff that she uses in Knuckle Down, her mature masterpiece.

She is certainly working, experimenting here, pushing herself as an artist to not avert her glance. She's hard on the other in her lyrics, yeah, but hard on herself because, you know, when it just doesn't work out, what do you have then. Very internal, this stuff, dark and at times smothering. Discovering that you can be, and actually are, happy either way, after it all goes down, the love love thing, is problematic to most anyone. The effects of love and loss and life.

Taken together Educated Guess and Knuckle down show an artist in spiritual and emotional crisis and share a sort of creative catharsis. This is definitely mature work. Educated Guess the workshop, Knuckle Down the showpiece. But any Ani Difranco fan should appreciate Educated Guess. I guess it might depend on why you listen to her. She's a smart lyricist and a sly guitarist, doing very cool, jazzy runs and picks. Don't expect the world conqueror here. This is about the human Ani in defeat, emotional wounds exposed, keeping company with herself, working through in a groovy way. Accompanied by her guitar and that ever looping voice in chorus, high and low and scatting and squeaking, singing, telling stories, calling herself out as she shape shifts into something new.

You can see a complete list of all Ani DiFranco discography, or go back to the Ani DiFranco tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.