Best Of Franco Vol.1, The - Franco

Advantages: This is a necessity for Ani fans new and old alike.
Disadvantages: Some of my favorite songs are not featured on this set - but, many of them ARE.

...of the many tiny hole-in-the-wall clubs on Ani?s tour schedule. Not many live recordings can capture the essence of the environment, but "Living In Clip" does not fall short. I highly recommend this to any Ani DiFranco fan. But, this is a great introduction to Ani's career, as it is a very well-balanced and skillfully-assembled timeline of her work as a musician. You cannot miss this album for ANYTHING, ladies and gentlemen! It's too good to pass up! One of the best things about this two-disc set is 1. I found it for $12.99 but also 2. The fact that Ani refuses to edit out or alter her live performances. She did not even do overdubbing or add extra tracks into the recording before releasing it on CD. Instead, she left the entire thing as it was (well, okay, she redid the vocal track on "Both Hands" because the original was full of static... Read review

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Advantages: Powerful, honest, dedicated effort by an up-and-coming musician.
Disadvantages: Some may not like the bold approaches to controversial topics.

...In 1990, New York-based folk musician Ani DiFranco launched Righteous Babe Records, an independent record label designed to share "unorthodox" music with a culture engrossed in MTV and VH1 pop and rap trends. Along with this successful label, Ani also released her self-titled debut album - an outstanding mix of folk rock and slight country with faint influences of jazz, blues, and a tiny shred of funk here and there to keep things interesting. DiFranco grabs your ear from the first track: "Both Hands," a very simple acoustic guitar piece that cuts right to the heart of the matter. In this song, Ani's slightly-lilting, raw-edged voice pleads with her lover to touch her with both hands. "I am writing graffiti on your body / I am drawing the story of how hard we tried..." It's an emotional, tense ballad that keeps listeners glued... Read review

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Advantages: Once again, it is a creative and introspective folk album.
Disadvantages: The cover art really, really blows. We're talking major chunks here.

...1995 was a damned good year for music. Sweetwater, Nirvana, and the like – basically, your typical American grunge scene with a little alternative rock thrown in to keep fans interested. All kinds of popular and up-and-coming acts copyrighted and released new material in ’95, to create a nice blend of music for fans to snap up like bacon bits in a dog food dish. But, as much as I would love to talk about how 1995 is my absolute FAVORITE year for great music, I’m here to discuss the absolute BEST effing album to hit the market that entire year: Ani DiFranco’s “Puddle Dive.” I will start off for once by listing its weak points: The cover art sucks. Ani specializes in using local (Buffalo, NY) talents to assist her in the production, design, and release phases of each recording she or other RBR... Read review

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