Ani DiFranco - To The Teeth (1999 Righteous Babe)

By Jeanne Kalosieh

Remember when Ani used to sing about empowering stories, standing up to the Man, and finding our voice in this ridiculous, yet precious, world?  Those days are sorely missed.  To The Teeth puts the listener in a time-out corner.  The songs force us reflect on all the crazy, unfathomable things that have become regular features on the nightly news.  Prior to this album, we never cried for those political songs that Ani wrote - we got determined to make change happen.  But Ani’s making it quite clear that, as the big 2000 approaches, we as a human race haven’t learned a God damn thing, and it is okay to cry for us, not out of pity, but out of disappointment.  When is it going to stop? 

The first thing the listener will notice on this album is the change in Ani’s voice.  On a whole, it has gone from a feisty, poetic firecracker to a tired, wise twinkle.  The harmonies won’t make you jump or tango, but they will make your heart skip a few beats thanks to a heightened sensuality.  The title track, about gun control and (presumably) the Columbine shootings, is a beautiful tear-jerker that brings the rage.  She calls us to “open fire” on Hollywood, TV networks, and the NRA.  But in the end, “If I hear one more time/ about a fool’s right/ to his tools of rage/ I’m gonna take all my friends/ and I’m gonna move to Canada/ and we’re gonna die of old age.”  If that doesn’t leave your jaw on the floor, you’re either a fool or a Canadian.  Perhaps the most powerful track is “Hello Birmingham,” recalling the murder of a doctor because he performed abortions.  Ani parallels this death with the murder of another doctor: Martin Luther King, Jr.  History repeated. 

But To The Teeth is a fun CD, too.  And yes, there are empowering lyrics, but the music isn’t as driven by her funky-punky roots as they are by jazz.  Maceo Parker makes appearances, Prince sings on “Providence,” and Corey Parker raps on “Swing.”  You’ll enjoy many catchy, almost ethereal, guitar chords and backing vocals that make To The Teeth come up stronger than that Up album.  Ani gets stirring and sweet on “Going Once,” “Soft Shoulder,” and “The Arrivals Gate,” but she sounds eerily like Alanis on “Freakshow,” a song about circus folk.

If you’ve been following Ani DiFranco throughout her career, then To The Teeth deserves to be part of your growing CD collection.  The folk singer is progressing, feeling out new styles, and experimenting.  Give credit where credit is due.

©  FEMMUSIC 1999-2008

Website Design by Commotion Music Promotion.