Ani DiFranco: Verses (Hardcover)

by Ani DiFranco (Author)
Key Phrases: Old Left

Editorial Reviews

Review
.,."She's got the gift of lyrical pre4cision - nothing cuts to the core quite like the resolution of DiFranco rhyme."

Product Description

"She's got the gift of lyrical precision-nothing cuts to the core quite like the resolution of DiFranco rhyme."-Billboard

With eight Grammy nominations, a gold record, and sales of over 4.5 million, Ani DiFranco is one of America's most fiercely independent and beloved musicians, as well as an outspoken voice of conscience. For the first time, she releases a book of poetry and paintings capturing her essential artistry that has helped define and invigorate a new generation.

Ani DiFranco: Verses rages, eulogizes, menaces, revels, and envisions. With a poet's precision and a citizen's stake, DiFranco finds the meeting places of intimacy and politics, of self and country, of resolve and compromise, and of the fickle and magnificent capacities of love and solitude.

In 1990 at the age of eighteen, Ani DiFranco rewrote the rules of the record industry when she created her own label, Righteous Babe Records, as an alternative to beckoning corporate offices. Since then, RBR has released nineteen full-length DiFranco albums to critical acclaim, and is now home to over a dozen cutting-edge new artists. DiFranco was named one of the top twenty-five most influential artists of the past twenty-five years by CMJ New Music (alongside Nirvana and U2) and one of 21 Feminists for the 21st Century by Ms. Magazine. Together with Ani DiFranco: Verses, she released her first retrospective album, Canon, in September 2007, and proceeded on a twenty-city tour in the United States.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583228233
• ISBN-13: 978-1583228234
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #353,349 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Different from what I expected, but utterly worthwhile!, September 6, 2007

By	Sarah B. (Southeastern PA) - See all my reviews

I suppose I didn't read enough into the description because I had a different understanding of what the book was. I expected more unpublished poetry from Ani (similar to the Italian publication). Instead, this is primarily a collection of her songs printed in poetic form -- which has a certain fluidity, tenor, and tone that sets them apart from their auditory existence. Only a few of the "verses" printed are new works that were not released as songs and this initially disappointed me (hence the 4-stars). However, the sense of familiarity is growing on me and I'm appreciating the chance to mull over her writing from another perspective. At first you can't help but hear the song as you read, but the deeper I got into Verses, the more I was able to imagine greater complexity of motivation and varying understandings for the pieces. Ani has so much of great significance to say and sometimes that doesn't impact the listener as deeply as it can the reader. Her pen is truly mighty and my admiration has only grown. Also, the artwork inside is beautiful and from what I can ascertain, Ani played a major role in the art design (ie, no separate illustration credit, just a three-person "Design" credit headed by Ani). All in all, is is clearly a must for any Ani fan or lover of poetry.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars if i had known it was just her lyrics...., December 18, 2007

By	Dann Dempsey (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For a slim volume of verse, I kinda expected it to have only previously unprinted poems. There were a few, and those new ones were really enjoyable. Her other song lyrics were really enjoyable when I read them the first time, like 15 years ago, but I was disappointed to see that this small book was almost entirely recycled.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different form, same brilliance..., December 1, 2007

By	Jeffrey B. Baker "Jeff" (Alabama) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked this up for my girlfriend's b-day and found myself reading a good chunk of it before I managed to pass it on... it's cool to see her words on paper and chew on them in a different form. Ani has a hell of a gift... definitely not light entertainment, she will make you think. If you're like me you'll find just a tiny dose of this very filling, but the girl devoured it all in one evening. Either way, get it!