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Life & Arts

DiFranco shares self in 'Knuckle Down'

By Dusti Rhodes
The Daily Cougar

I was never a big fan of Ani DiFranco. It was one of those situations where I respected her musicianship, I just simply wasn't into her sound. But Knuckle Down has changed my opinion about this female artist who will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest women in music -- ever.

Regardless of her sound, DiFranco has paved her own way, creating her own label when no one else would sign her and sticking to it once the big wigs were trying everything they could to put a pen and contract under her hand. Even those who may cringe at the sound of her twangy voice and folk guitar riffs have to marvel at the bravery she demonstrated when first creating her label, Righteous Babe Records.

Knuckle Down does little to stray from DiFranco's classic sound, but unlike past albums, these songs seem to flow more deliberately thanks to a more poppy folk sound. Many may dread the thought of pop infusing DiFranco's sound, but her past albums have shown potential to do what Knuckle Down so eloquently does.

Knuckle Down starts off with the titular track in which DiFranco demonstrates her ability to move her mouth as fast as her fingers, spouting out the poetic lyrics that have always been a strong point in DiFranco's music.

The song seems to be her looking back on her life as if she would never be the person she once was when she says " 'course that star struck girl is already someone I miss." She expresses seeing herself in a different view now and denotes maturity when she sings "I swear some stuff you just see better from farther away / and I think I communicate better from farther away."

"Studying Stones" is up next, offering a beautiful folk hit with gorgeous melodies and a sad violin to give it a dramatic feel.This song seems to follow in the same theme of DiFranco retracing her steps in her life and career and really help fans see that Knuckle Down is more than just a title; it is an ongoing theme in the album.

"Manhole" is unarguably a disgruntled expression in which DiFranco tells the story of wrong done in the far past. Once again DiFranco shares that she learned from the experience when she sings " --cause I looked up to see integrity / finally won over desire."

The album's only disappointment is that as the listener progresses through the tracks, things start to slow down and fans may find themselves skipping through the last half of the album unless they are trying to fall asleep. This, however, does offer fans of her slower tunes an opportunity to find songs that they'll like in this album as well.

Ani DiFranco

Knuckles Down

Righteous Babe Records

Verdict: DiFranco knuckled down, and I became a fan.

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