Ani Difranco's 'Educated Guess'

Ani Difranco has not made a truly solo record in over a decade. Not since the release of "Not So Soft" in 1991 has Difranco been completely at the helm. For fans who miss the days of Difranco's fiercely intelligent lyrics backed by only an acoustic guitar, "Educated Guess" is both a welcome delight and a disappointment.
"Guess" is very organic sounding. As it should be. The record was done on an old reel-to-reel machine with only eight tracks in a New Orleans shotgun shack as well as in Difranco's Buffalo home. The result is a very bare, raw record. Indeed, the first track, a short spoken-word piece called "Platforms," ends with Ani reciting, "back to myself/closer to the ground now/with sorrow/and stealth." This sums up her new release well.
The lyrics are classic Ani – sharp, witty, touching. Fans will not be disappointed on that front. However, their delivery is, at times, a little rough. There are a lot of minor chords here, a lot of intentional dissonance and it is, quite frankly, grating.
The record's title track starts out with a classic Difranco guitar riff, but once the singing starts things get a little weird. Difranco did her own backing vocals, and on this track it sounds like a crazy, escapee-from-the-ward evil Difranco twin is accompanying her. It's downright creepy, really, which works to distract from the song's great lyrics. I wish I could say this is the only song where her crazy twin appears, but sadly she pops up all over the album.
An album highlight is the song "Company" which will resonate well with fans of "Dilate." The spoken word "Grand Canyon" proves that Difranco can still talk politics with the best of them. Fans who saw her live last time she was in town got a sneak peek at this piece.
In "The True Story of What Was," another spoken word track, Difranco's own words work well to sum up the batch of songs "Educated Guess" is composed of: "Just a collection of recollections/conversations consisting/of the kinds of marks we make/when we're trying to get a pen to work again."
The scribblings and markings of this record are interesting from a psychological standpoint, but as far as art goes, it's certainly an acquired taste. Die-hard Difranco fans will, of course, love it. To each his own.
The creation of this record represents yet another achievement by a truly independent woman who has inspired millions. So for those of you who go out and buy this record (and you really should buy it if you want it. Difranco said recently on National Public Radio that Righteous Babe Records was feeling the hit of illegal downloading), more power to you. Even if you don't like it, you can consider it a donation to the Righteous Babe fund. Even if her latest music isn't my cup of tea, I certainly don't ever want to see this woman retire.