Dilate

Ani DiFranco

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 1996)
• Original Release Date: May 21, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Righteous Babe
• ASIN: B0000058MS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,856 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #6 in	Music > Indie Music > Folk > Contemporary Folk
  #8 in	Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Singer Songwriters
  #8 in	Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > Urban Folk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
Following up two of her strongest records, Not a Pretty Girl and Out of Range, Dilate takes a different tack. It's quieter and more lush than previous efforts but just as intensely personal, with songs like "Untouchable Face" that are easier to identify with than many other DiFranco tunes. At the same time, DiFranco's old fans might not recognize the sound here, especially on tracks like the trip-hop-influenced "Amazing Grace," the shuffling "Napoleon," or the indescribable "Shameless"--this isn't the same thrash-folkie of old. There's a lot to like on Dilate, especially if you're a fan of Portishead or Lisa Germano, but it takes some getting used to. After spending time with the album, you may find it as comfortable as your favorite pair of jeans, but you also might find out that the jeans never really fit quite right. --Randy Silver

Product Description
Asian Version featuring Two Bonus Tracks: "Shameless (Bathtub Mix)", and "Joyful Girl (Peace and Love Mix)".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Ani's best, but still beautiful., September 27, 1999

By A Customer

I have to admit, when I first bought this album a few weeks ago, my reaction wasn't very positive. I was like, "What the hell happened? This isn't the Ani DiFranco I've grown to love!" And songs like "Outta Me, On To You" and "Shameless" still freak me out a bit.

But once I listened to it a second or third time, I really began to love it. Ani's voice is the best it's ever been on any of her records, the lyrics are brilliant as always....now I can't believe I once disliked it so much. My favorite tracks on it are Superhero (such a wonderful song), Napoleon (I get such a big smile on my face whenever I listen to this one), Done Wrong (gorgeous and sad), and Joyful Girl (whispery and pretty).

I love this album because on it Ani displays such quiet, heartfelt emotion that I've never heard on any of her other records. Not A Pretty Girl is still my favorite album of hers, but Dilate will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you, Ani.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Give up the folk (tear the roots off the sucka!), December 7, 1999

By	"lexo-2" (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

Supposing that, like me, you don't normally want to listen to people with acoustic guitars whose fans (who can't spell "inspiring") regard them with awe - well, have a listen to this album, distinctly grittier than many of its kin. Apparently this is the album on which DiFranco got tired of being a folkie and upped the funk level by several degrees. The songs are cool: Napoleon, a blast of contempt at unspeakable rock-biz types, has a grungy swing and an unprintable chorus; Amazing Grace (yes, it's that old chestnut) is all overdubbed thumb pianos and whispering; Untouchable Face is a splendidly miserable love song (again with an unprintable chorus, which redeems the more ordinary sadness of the verses); the title track is a real killer, with a guitar sound big enough to fit a cathedral into it and positively bilious lyrics. Fine stuff. Never mind Laurie Anderson (recording with Lour Reed? What can she be thinking?), DiFranco is the singer-songwriter for people who don't normally listen to them.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brooding, Blunt and Personal, June 17, 2004

By	bethtexas (United States) - See all my reviews

Some people were annoyed, if I remember right, when Ani DiFranco made this album -- much more brooding and with a lot more backup band than her others.

To them, I said: "She already made like a gazillion albums in her other style! She recorded more songs already than most artists ever will. How long was she supposed to keep going before trying something new?" I figure she has to either reinvent herself or get bored, and I think she made the right choice

I think this album is a TRIUMPH. It's mopey, honest, and absolutely heartfelt. Her lyrics are just as smart as ever.

SUPERHERO is a fantastic song about how when we fall in love, we all become ridiculous cliches ... no matter how 'above it' we thought we were before.

ADAM AND EVE is a powerful, brooding feminist statement about men who "leave you in the morning".

OUT OF ME, ONTO YOU is more or less ... a curse on someone you hate.

I think DILATE is a gem, and every Ani fan should take it back out again and listen to it with fresh ears.