Puddle Dive

Ani DiFranco

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 26, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Righteous Babe
• ASIN: B0000058MK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #56,086 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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

  #38 in	Music > Indie Music > Folk > Contemporary Folk
  #41 in	Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Singer Songwriters
  #69 in	Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > Urban Folk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Puddle Dive is something of a transition album for DiFranco: she's (gasp!) smiling on the cover, she's got accompaniment on nearly every track, her creed is clearly stated for the first time ("I sing sometimes like my life is at stake / 'Cause you're only as loud as the noises you make" [on "My IQ"]), and there are even some songs here that find joy, even if it's just for a moment ("Names and Dates and Times," "4th of July"). There's also, to a much greater extent than on previous albums, the frenetic guitar strum (accomplished with taped-on plastic fingernails) that is one of the hallmarks of DiFranco's maturing sound. It's the strum that complements DiFranco's stop-start, breathy vocals so well, and the combination of the two has always served to distinguish her from the hordes of folkies on the coffeehouse circuit (that is, if DiFranco's tattoos, piercings, and haircuts hadn't already done the trick). On Puddle Dive her maturing song craft (check out the bluesy "Back Around") and increasing consistency put her even further ahead of the pack. --Randy Silver

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother Trying To Act Tame...., June 8, 2000

By	"iheartcrass" (NC) - See all my reviews

Ok. I must admit it. I'm a fan! I can't even play it cool when it comes to Ani. She is just AMAZING! This is my favorite record simply because it shows MR Difranco at her very best. Bouncy and playful and yet also serious and emotional. Lines like..."Im not going to pretend that I dont pick my nose, thats just the way it is my friends thats just the way it goes..." will make you smile to yourself and maybe laugh. Her sheer honesty, quick wit and mellow guitar make this a perfect album for a sunday drive, or the perfect soundtrack for playing cards with friends on a warm summer nite... The track "My IQ" is a out and out poem but if you listen to the cadence and rhyme of the songs you will see that Ani is a gifted poet even when her poems are set to music. If you dig the sound of REM and the wit of Dar Williams (only I find Ani more witty) you will LOVE this album.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Defiant, triumphant, jubilant!, November 21, 1998

By A Customer

A friend of mine once commented that she likes Ani but she gets sad if she listens to some of her albums too much. She needs "Puddle Dive": it's defiant, triumphant, jubilant. In this album, Ani makes fun of egotistical musicians; makes friends with a little boy in Iowa; tells off a cop that gives her a speeding ticket ("for history"); menstruates on The Man's office furniture; gets a little seductive on "Anyday" and "Back Around;" and, as always, encourages you "to fight/ for what you think is real/ for what you think is right." A joy to listen to.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A late purchase in my Ani collection, December 3, 2002

By	E. A. Skiff "http://www.glitchnyc.com" (Astoria, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was one of the later Ani albums I bought, starting with Out of Range, jumping to Little Plastic Castle (which was brand new at the time)and jumping around from there.
After her recent change of style (from 6up on) I was looking for more of that familiar "out of range" sound.... THIS WAS IT! Not quite as razor-edged as Dilate, not as simple as her self-titled debut, this album was like digging into the memories of that first year back in High school I spent absorbing all things Ani.

A few hits, a few minor misses, and as always, her prophetic, insightful lyrics.