Ani DiFranco
Knuckle Down
Righteous Babe Records

By Kevin J. Hosey

Ani DiFranco continues to be prodigious in her recording and other activities, all on top of the renovation of a church in Buffalo, which will become the new offices of Righteous Babe Records and a performing arts center. Her newest CD, “Knuckle Down,” follows the release of her live “Trust” DVD, and somehow maintains the high level of quality her recordings have achieved and also stays the course of more stripped-down recordings after her semi-funk period. Among the standout songs are “Studying Stones,” slow to mid-tempo with some nice violin from Andrew Bird and a feeling of longing; DiFranco seems to be trying to control her emotions over someone she is falling for but can’t compartmentalize it. On “Modulation," where DiFranco’s smartly funky, syncopated guitar is featured, she is saying thanks and goodbye to a lover (or her former husband) without bitterness or nastiness because they were good together but “set each other free.” The title song has fast, bouncy acoustic guitar; DiFranco appears to be trying to escape while preparing for reality. She misses the sense of innocence and feels she can’t allow herself to relax or drink much. On “Manhole,” the music goes from punchy to smooth; she sings of being betrayed and controlled in romance, and she will now be even more open and honest in looking out for herself. “Seeing Eye Dog” presents a musical change of pace, with a blacksmith-like anvil percussion sound reminiscent of Tom Waits; “Parameters” also alters things a bit with dreamy, ambient keyboard from Patrick Warren and DiFranco’s occasional spare guitar as she speaks over the music about how her life, worries, concerns and fears have grown, shrunk and come full-circle. Tony Scherr supplies some sharp, distorted electric guitar on “Paradigm.” DiFranco can be contacted at or PO Box 95, Ellicott Station, Buffalo, NY 14205.
Justin Rutledge and the Junction Forty
No Never Alone
Independent

By Kevin J. Hosey

Wow, this is a really good CD, a great debut from Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarist Justin Rutledge, subtly backed by the Junction Forty; the moody, at times dreamy country takes its time to reach the listener, and the music is worth the wait. The CD starts with possibly its best song, “Too Sober to Sleep,” slow, elegiac country with some fine pedal steel guitar from Burke Carroll, as Rutledge sings of trying to get by but missing people and things and feeling rootless; the booze is neither helping him act nor forget about the situation. “A Letter to Heather” is a slow lament of a drifter’s inability to find or keep anything stable. He can’t stay in one place too long but he still misses a lover badly and cherishes their time together; Rutledge plays some smart banjo while Margaret Mary O’Hara adds sweet vocals. “Year of Jubilo,” a fun instrumental with a banjo line rather reminiscent of “Dixie,” nicely breaks some of the mood up. “1855” picks things up to mid-tempo with bits of piano, pedal steel, fiddle and acoustic guitar, while Rutledge wonders how (or even if) he and his lover would be if they were together back in the 1850s, and would anything change between them. “Federal Mail” is another contemplative song, with Rutledge’s acoustic guitar and Doug Dyson’s piano trading the lead and counter melodies; he misses his lover and hates the distance that separates them, but he really doesn’t seem to want to change this situation. It leaves the listener wondering whether she chose for them to be separated, or did someone’s job or outside circumstances pull them apart? Tom Howell rounds things out with some real goof fiddle playing. Justin Rutledge can be contacted through his web site at , e-mail at or through our friend Richard Flohil at Rflohil@sympatico.ca.
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