Not A Pretty Girl

This album feels to me like Ani is grappling with the demons of success. Most obviously is the climax to "Million You Never Made," but several songs find her trying to pin down who she is and who she wants to be. She never really does -- actually, she makes a point of never being pinned down-- but she spends a lot of time explaining what she's not. "Not a Pretty Girl" and "32 Flavors" are songs of definition, and it shows up in other places as well - in almost every song.

This doesn't strike me as one of her best. It is good, as all of her albums are, and has several memorable songs on it, but none that give me the shivers or bring me to tears -- save, on occasion, the angry chant that ends "Million You Never Made," the moment that has to be the center of the whole album. But unlike Dilate or To the Teeth, it's not one I can just put on repeat and never grow tired of. Three and a half stars.

**

i'm still deciding who i want to be today... (a found poem)

i am not a pretty girl
i ain't no damsel in distress
i am not an angry girl
i am not a maiden fair
and i am not a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere
and i have earned my disillusionment
and i am a patriot
i am warning you i am weightless
i am telling you i'm different than you think i am
and i am telling you that i am different than you are
and i ain't really all that pretty
no i don't prefer obscurity,
but i'm an idealistic girl
and i may not be able to change the whole f***ing world

but i could be the million that you never made
i'm not between you and your ambition
i am a poster girl with no poster
i am thirty-two flavors and then some
and i'm beyond your peripheral vision
i'm tired of being the interesting one
i'm tired of having fun for two
i'm not saying that i'm a saint
i just don't want to live that way

If you don't know Ani DiFranco yet, she's the straight-talking, "Why don't more singers say it this plainly?" independent singer/songwriter who's built up such a following that it proves -- yes, there IS room for smarter music in this world.

She's got a killer voice. (How does she sing like that?) And she plays guitar so well that even if you don't know much about the instrument ... you can tell she's good.

NOT A PRETTY GIRL is the perfect album to buy first. And don't worry, once you get hooked -- there are gazillions more from which to choose. That's the great thing about discovering an artist like Ani -- if you find you love her, you can just keep buying more and more!

Is she folk? Is she 'women's music'? Is she punk? Who knows. She's just a very forthright singer/songwriter who writes lyrics no one else dares to produce. (The advantage of having founded her own music company, as I understand it!)

Some of the highlights on this "Absolutely must have" album include THE MILLION YOU NEVER MADE -- a hardore tell-off to the music industry, LIGHT OF SOME KIND -- repenting for being unfaithful, sung with heartfelt, bang-it-up umph, and CRADLE AND ALL -- a beautiful, gut-wrenching ballod that just goes on and on about a rough day in the life of a city girl. Then of course, NOT A PRETTY GIRL is a great feminist song.

NOT A PRETTY GIRL is where it's at -- make it your first Ani album, but don't make it your last.

Ani Difranco is about as punk rock as the guys in Fugazi. Unlike most artists today, Ani took control of her own career instead of letting some major record label dictate to her how her music should sound like and whether it was hit worthy or not. I first heard Ani's music when I decided to buy "Dilate" on a whim. It wasn't the easiest piece of music to listen to but I found myself digging Ani's quirky, self-effacing humor. Although my interest in her music has waned over the years, I still enjoy throwing in one of Ani's cds and chilling out to it with a good cup of java. My other favorite Ani Difranco cds includes "Living in Clip", "Little Plastic Castle", "Up, Up, Up...", and "Not a Pretty Girl". I consider "Not a Pretty Girl" Ani's definitive album. It really represents who she is as an artist from the quirky "Tiptoe" to the plaintive ballad "Sorry". Unlike her more recent albums in the past several years, "Not a Pretty Girl" is just Ani on acoustic guitar. The production on the album is excellent. I felt like I was in an intimate club setting watching Ani perform. A few years ago, I couldn't believe that one-hit wonder Alana Davis mutilated Ani's "32 Flavors". I thought it was atrocious. I don't care for artists who covers another artist's song and thinks they have the god given right to alter a few lyrics. Ani's song is vastly superior and has remained a timeless classic. Ani Difranco is one of the few artists who has my respect for bucking the system. Her independent spirit is truly one of a kind.