Ani DiFranco
Binary
Righteous Babe/Aveline
If
you were impressed by Oprah Winfrey’s Golden Globes speech, then let me
introduce you to another confident, self-made woman of integrity who has also
spent her life being a committed activist for positive change against the ‘isms
we are familiar with and those we may not, like reproductive rights and
patriarchy. Ani believes equality is
essential before we can solve the bigger issues.
It
deserves discussion because the pressing needs facing Earth, of poverty, access
to water, starvation, wars, terrorism and environmental destruction are too
important not to address.
The
vocals sound somewhere between Grace Jones and Alanis Morrisette and the staccato delivery, whilst fitting the jazz rhythms well, doesn't offer the variety I was expecting.
The exceptional line in the song Play God about reproductive rights, “Every
chance I can, I pay my taxes like any working man, and I feel I’ve earned My right
to choose, you don’t get to play God, man,
I do”, demonstrates her beliefs and a mastery of the written and spoken word,
but I was dying to hear more melody, less words, and a little space to hear
more flair from the whole band.
Influenced
by Pete Seeger, Suzanne Vega and Michelle Shocked, Ani is not your typical pop
star. She’d “rather be able to face
myself in the mirror than be rich and famous”.
It’s a shame there isn’t more like her so that she could relax to include
more human stories like the track Pacifist’s Lament (“But there is nothing
harder than to stop in the middle of a battle and say you're sorry”) but she confesses herself that “Some people wear their heart on their
sleeve. I wear mine strapped to my boot.”
Binary may
not be my first choice for my living room, but as a politician with conviction,
she’s my kind of presidential candidate.
NE
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