She is a veteran of the modern folk movement, but Ani Di Franco’s 24th studio album finds the New Yorker in a relatively content state of being.
Famous for her strong sense of social injustice, this collection mostly looks inward, particularly on the lyrically defiant Careless Words and the slouchy, laidback Happy All the Time. These are predominantly easygoing tracks, built simply around guitar, double bass and piano – but her new home of New Orleans seems to inform the loose jazz and blues vibe of Dithering and the lithe, playful See See See See, while Genie packs in a meditative eastern influence.
It may be business as usual to a certain extent, but DiFranco nonetheless remains firmly on the right side of lazy clichés.
