Ani Difranco - The Atom

Let me start by admitting that I have not followed Ani much in the last few years, the last album I bought was Revelling / Reckoning, but before that I was quite the avid fan. Most of my ex-girlfriends have actually been jealous of her.... So she comes to town 10 years after I saw her here last and I must say she is still so right on. The show was nothing spectacular, started early, ended early, was not sold out, etc., which actually allowed her to play a different set list than normal I believe, and she played some brand new songs. All in all it was a great show but not the energy driven rides of her earlier years. For those that don't know she is recently married, and even more recently a mother. (quote of the night, "this one is for all the straight women out there who went to war with their ovaries."). She seemed extremely happy and content, and the new songs were unusually optimistic love songs. Even more importantly that seeing her live was buying her latest CD at the show, "Red Letter Year". Her writings are just so raw and universal. I will let her lyrics speak for themselves.

"yes, messing with the atom
is the highest form of blasphemy
whether you are making weapons
or simple electricity
someone fashion me a pulpit
i have been called to engage
with the maniacal heretics
of the nuclear age!

let the religious get religion
let consumers get a clue
let scientists get perspective
let activists get their due
let industry get a conscience
let the earth inherit the meek
let the divinity of nature speak "

Ani Difranco - The Atom

"And I'll learn to fix stuff
If you will teach me to love
And god will radiate out from within us
'Stead of this bullshit from above

We can dance around like monkeys
After the paparazzi have gone home
Having let go forever
Of the fallacy of ever being alone"

Ani Difranco - Round A Pole

Obviously I am very excited about her new album, and will most likely go off and discover what she has released in the last few years that I have missed.

And here is a clip from her perfomance on Sessions at West 54th from 1997, it was watching this perfomace on PBS late on a saturday night that I fell in love with her. How could you not. (sorry for posting this song again, but its the only clip from this performance I have ever been able to find, suppose I should by the DVD, Sessions on West 54th was an amazing show).