Customer Reviews

Not a Pretty Girl

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own Not So Soft,Imperfectly, Living In Clip, Little Plastic Castle, The First Album, Out of Range, and Puddle Dive, and although I love each and every one of these albums, I keep returning to Not a Pretty Girl again and again. This album marks a transition from Ani's more acoustic and light sound (The First Album, Imperfectly) to her more hard-edge music (Dilate, Little Plastic Castle). I love both phases but I'd have to say I'm happiest in the middle. This CD combines folk and rock for the best glimpse of Ani that i have found. If you are a new Ani fan, this is the best album to own because it really showcases her talent. You are able to hear her loud, passionate work in "The Million You Never Made" ( the song that has my favorite lyric- life is a sleazy stranger flirting with a bimbo named disaster at the end of the bar...I'm telling you I'm different than you are), her softer work in "32 Flavors" and "This Bouquet", her spoken poetry in "Tiptoe", her acoustic edge in "Cradle and All", and her lyrical mastery in nearly every track but especially in "Hour follows Hour" and "Shy". Ani is a singing poet, a true musical genius. If you are tired of everyday bubblegum pop and you want to hear a true artist who thinks of her music as art, pick up an Ani CD. You won't be disappointed. I never have been. She isn't for everyone, but she may just be for you.

Every Ani album is a masterpiece, if you ask me. I've followed her for a long time now and I've watched her grow and expand her range with each passing record, from the spare folk of her self-titled debut, to dueting with the former artist usually known as Prince on her latest, "To the Teeth."

"Not a Pretty Girl" remains a favorite of mine. I connected to "32 Flavors" from the first time I heard it. I love "Shy," "Hour Follows Hour," and "Cradle and All," but one of the finest tracks I've heard in a long time is "The Million You Never Made." She sorta turns into Wendy O. Williams at the end of the song...not that that's a bad thing.

To sum up: worth every penny.

If you don't know Ani DiFranco yet, she's the straight-talking, "Why don't more singers say it this plainly?" independent singer/songwriter who's built up such a following that it proves -- yes, there IS room for smarter music in this world.

She's got a killer voice. (How does she sing like that?) And she plays guitar so well that even if you don't know much about the instrument ... you can tell she's good.

NOT A PRETTY GIRL is the perfect album to buy first. And don't worry, once you get hooked -- there are gazillions more from which to choose. That's the great thing about discovering an artist like Ani -- if you find you love her, you can just keep buying more and more!

Is she folk? Is she 'women's music'? Is she punk? Who knows. She's just a very forthright singer/songwriter who writes lyrics no one else dares to produce. (The advantage of having founded her own music company, as I understand it!)

Some of the highlights on this "Absolutely must have" album include THE MILLION YOU NEVER MADE -- a hardore tell-off to the music industry, LIGHT OF SOME KIND -- repenting for being unfaithful, sung with heartfelt, bang-it-up umph, and CRADLE AND ALL -- a beautiful, gut-wrenching ballod that just goes on and on about a rough day in the life of a city girl. Then of course, NOT A PRETTY GIRL is a great feminist song.

NOT A PRETTY GIRL is where it's at -- make it your first Ani album, but don't make it your last.

This is probably my favorite Ani CDs of all time (with OUT OF RANGE and DILATE tying for a close second). Of course, I love the simplicty of the earlier albums and the funkyness and the chances she's taken with her more recent ones. But there is just something about the time period when she made this. She seemed to be at a creative, political and honest peak. There is something about the title track, "Light of Some Kind" and "The Million you Never Made" that make you glad to be alive and sitting there listening to Ani.

The thing I love about NOT A PRETTY GIRL is the fact that it's so political and it's so not political at the same time. "Sorry I Am" is one of her best downright folk tunes. "This Bouquet" and "Worthy" are both emotional and compelling. "Shy" is probably one of her best rock tunes (though you don't fully realize how much of a rock tune it is until you hear it live). And of course, there's "32 Flavors" which I believe will be a classic in it's own right... if it's not already. The percussion at the end gets me every time.

Don't say she's angry. Angry is far too simple a way to describe Ani DiFranco or her music. Anger is played with one note - mixed emotion requires a rhythm section. She picks you up, drops you, dusts you off, looks you in the eye and says "wanna go round again?". Whatever you want to feel, its in there.

Musically and lyrically her best album to date!

In her artistic expression, Ani Difranco embodies such towering virtues as honesty, independence, and compassion. She is a woman committed to making art for art's sake, proudly resisting big time record lables that would undoubtedly censor a voice that needs to be heard in all of it's raw beauty. Since 1990, she has fought an uphill battle to perserve the dignity of her art. And for that, I cannot thank her enough. I have all of Ms. Difranco's c.d.'s and recommend each one. Yet NOT A PRETTY GIRL (made during Ani's transition form Old School...ANI DIFRANCO, NOT SO SOFT...to New School...LITTLE PLASTIC CASTLE, UP, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up) is my favorite. This album is her richest in terms of it's diversity in sound. Ani goes from passioante aggression in a song like THE MILLION YOU NEVER MADE to sublime self-revelation in 32 FLAVORS. Throughout, Ani maintains overwhelmning poignancy underscored by the genuine honesty that makes it all matter on a universal level. This ain't no bubble gum pop music. In this album, Ani offers the world a crystal clear window into a human soul (and it sounds AMAZING). Such an opprotunity must not be wasted. So run to the music store NOW and grab NOT A PRETTY GIRL. And while you're there, get all the others too.

Having been a die-hard fan of Ani Difranco since the early days of "Not So Soft" I feel qualified to remark that "Not a Pretty Girl" is her masterpiece thus far. Ani's lyrics have always been delighfully diverse. Her guitar playing made my mouth hang open as I saw her perform for the first time while sitting in a folk-fest mud puddle. Her voice chortles, warbles, tinkles and soars. From the spare, beautiful "Sorry I Am" to the hair-raising throat-rip of "The Million You Never Made", these songs serve up spine chills ("Crime For Crime"), belly laughs ("Not a Pretty Girl") and tears ("Sorry I Am"). To any who would dare question this woman's talent and musical integrity, I say this. As the voice of my generation (born in the seventies) we should celebrate Ani's success. "Not a Pretty Girl" is the perfect Ani album....buy it...treasure it...and SEE THIS WOMAN LIVE AT ALL COSTS !!!!

"Not a Pretty Girl" is the first Ani album I ever bought, and even though I have acquired more, it remains my favorite. I remember sitting in my room after I bought the cd, and listening to "Tiptoe" lead into "Cradle and All" on repeat. I knew this was it. It is hard to articulate how incredible this piece of work is. The album will transport you to another place when you listen to it. "Shy" is my favorite track, lyrically and musically. If you are looking to dive into the lush collection of Ani Difranco albums, I would start with this cd. It will leave you yearning for more Ani and prepare you for what she has to share. By the way, if you have a chance to hear this woman live, do it!

Ani DiFranco is fantastic, and this album is one of my favourites - the other being Little Plastic Castle.

The first song I heard was Not A Pretty Girl, which was great. Her lyrics are very strong and to-the-bone, which I really admire, because it's a very difficult thing to tell the truth without putting you out of sorts with the happy-clappy cheerleader types that read the Top Five to find out what new music they should like next. What that song didn't prepare me for, however, is the sheer SCOPE of her talent. She doesn't waste a drop of it. Every song is a total joy -- if you're like me, one listen, you'll be itching for the rest of her albums.

All the songs are wonderful - Worthy, Tiptoe, Cradle And All, Light Of Some Kind, Not A Pretty Girl, 32 Flavours being particular stand-outs - but my favourite, to tell you the truth, is the bonus track. It's an out-take almost; three failed attempts at the spoken poem Tiptoe. By the end, I was cracking up -- it's such a charming addition, you've already begun to feel close to her by hearing these great songs, but now you just simply love her!

You need to get this album! While you're at, my advice is to get Little Plastic Castle too... you won't regret it.

"Not a Pretty Girl" is my favorite of all of Ani DiFranco's CDs and let's face it, she's made a lot. I can't seem to get this one out of my CD player where its been stuck and playing a good deal ever since I bought it several years ago.

In "32 Flavors" Ani DiFranco asks her listeners to imagine themselves as a phoenix "who dared to rise up from the ash/a thousand eyes would squander with jealousy while you were just flying there." She brings forth the idea that we are wrong to try and label each other as there is so much more to a person than being a father, lawyer, sister, teacher, musician, etc... We are complicated people with a great deal to offer - We are "32 flavors and then some."

Another song that really resonates with me is the title track. While not the best musical piece on the CD, the lyrics really hit home. As much as I hate to say this, there still exists in our society things that are thought "appropriate" for women to do. In "Not a Pretty Girl" with lyrics such as "I'm not a pretty girl. That is not what I do. I'm not a damsel in distress. I don't need to be rescued." or "Imagine you're a girl, finally trying to come clean, knowing full well they'd prefer you were dirty, but smiling..." DiFranco makes her views on these matters known.

The sound on this CD is fantastic! I must confess, though, as much as I enjoy these two songs I mentioned, my favorite will always remain "Cradle and All." It's a hard decision as there are so many great songs to choose from. Please give yourself the chance to make this choice.