Eclectic artists release new flavors on CDs
To the Teeth ★★★★★
Ani DiFranco
In her 13th release, Ani DiFran
co takes her political views “To
the Teeth.”
Continuing from her past two
releases, “Little Plastic Castles”
and last year’s “Up Up Up Up Up
Up,” DiFranco continues to sing
about social upheaval and contin
ues to fight The Man. On the title
track, she sings about violence
and guns at the dawn of the new
century. Although DiFranco’s
anti-gun stance is clear, she urges
listeners to'“open fire” on Holly
wood, MTV, the television net-'
works and the NRA.
• The rest of the CD alternates be
tween serious issues and messages
to downright silly songs. She never
loses sight of her audience though,
and this is her best CD to date.
Fans have come to appreciate
her sound with what many con
sider her best effort, “Not a Pretty
Girl,” but “To the Teeth” will re
veal a more mature DiFranco. Her
lyrics are as poetic as ever, and she
has grown musically, successfully
blending in folk, lots of saxo
phone, a touch of rap and even a
banjo to create the funky sounds.
On one cut, she invites her audi
ence to the “Freakshow,” where
she sings about being on the road
in the form of a circus show. An
other song tells us of her joy while
she watches families, friends and
partners greet their loved ones as
they get off the plane in “The Gate. ”
DiFranco takes a serious note in
“Hello Birmingham” as she pas
sionately sings about racism and a
bullet that killed a doctor who per
formed abortions in New York.
The CD ends with “I Know This
Bar,” which is reminiscent of the
track “Pulse” from her “Little Plas
tic Castles” recording. “I Know
This Bar” is a quiet ballad that
brings the CD full circle.
Although she uses her signature
folk guitar playing on “To The
Teeth,” DiFranco introduces a
Courtesy photos
(above) Ani DiFranco’s ‘To the Teeth’ is perhaps her best CD to date, (left) Longtime
rocker David Bowie shows that he hasn’t lost his touch on ‘Hours.’
host of new styles including guest
musicians Maceo Parker, Irvin
Mayfield and even The Artist.
It’s hard to go wrong with a
DiFranco CD, and “To the Teeth”
is no exception.
By Tael Menahem
Hours ★★★★☆
David Bowie
“Hours” is the 23rd studio al
bum release from David Bowie,
one of pop music’s most innova
tive and ever-changing icons over
the past thirty years.
After spending the past five
years experimenting with indus
trial, electronic and dance music,
Bowie returns to full vocal form,
producing an album of timeless
songs that hold their own with
the best of his back catalog.
The album opens with its weak
est track, “Thursday’s Child,” with
Bowie crooning about lost days
and redemption through love. The
single is awash in synthesizers,
Holly Palmer’s vocals and strings.
Although the song has found a
comfortable home on the VH-1
charts, it’s definitely not one for all
the young dudes.
The album only gets better from
there, however. “Something in
the Air” is full of raw emotion
and powerful guitar work, while
“Survive” is a remorseful ballad
that is currently working its way
to the top of the UK charts.
Other highlights on the album
include “Seven” — Bowie’s best
single in almost 20 years — which
is dripping in rich, 12-string,
acoustic guitars and riveting vo
cals. “The Pretty Things are Going
to Hell” is a rocker, even from the
mouth of a 53-year-old, and puts
most modern rock tracks to shame.
The album closes out with
“Brilliant Adventure,” an instru
mental track that would not be
out of place on Bowie’s 1977 “He
roes” album, and “The Dream
ers,” which captures his leg
endary status as the great
visionary of Martian rock.
Since his commercial heyday
in the 1980s, fans of Bowie saw a
continual drop off in both musi
cal quality and album sales that
lasted up through the early 1990s.
Over the past seven years, how
ever, Bowie’s music has been on
a steady incline. He was in top
form with the eclectic, industrial
opus of his 1995 CD “1. Outside”
and a 1997 release, the testos
terone-driven “Earthling” album.
“Hours” is not the ideal album
to introduce yourself to the world
of Bowie, but it’s a solid work that
has something for almost every
Bowie fan and plenty of high
quality, new material for those
new to his music.
By Eric Pfeiffer
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