Style: Alternative folk rock; compare to Shawn Colvin and PJ Harvey
Top tracks: “Life Boat,” “Splinter,” “Hearse”
An avowed atheist over the course of her acclaimed two-decade career, Ani DiFranco gave birth and found new love in recent years, both of which may have fueled a skeptical God consciousness on her previous album, Red Letter Year. On her latest effort—the inventive, provocative Which Side Are You On?—it’s telling that DiFranco’s spiritual stirrings are largely vague and noncommittal while her familiar left-wing political ideals are plainly stated with gusto (and a few profanities). Nevertheless, opining that opposition to women’s rights comes from “some preacher man’s old-time opinion” (“Amendment”) might indicate DiFranco isn’t joining an altar call any time soon.
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