Long music related entry to be ignored. In no way should anyone think I’m getting defensive. I just want to share.

It’s clear to me that not too many people like Tori or Ani, which is precisely why I don’t make many of you sit through their music. A few of you may dispute that fact, but the only reason I ever make anyone listen to Ani DiFranco is if we are on a road trip and it’s my turn and I just have to hear her, or if we are discussing songs that affect us and I want to share as well. But usually I am terrified of which song to pick and what mood the person is in and what they might say to forever ruin the song for me. For example, after playing one song that wasn’t necessarily her best, someone actually had the gall to compare her to Alanis Morrisette. I was appalled. But I also could never listen to that song again without hearing what they heard.

With Tori, it’s more about the piano for me and about a time in my life when I first discovered an artist on my own. In high school I was home sick from school and saw the “Silent All These Years” video. Just months before, Metallica’s black album had moved over to make way for the release of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and Pearl Jam’s “Ten,” so there weren’t a lot of good women artists hitting the charts and the music was being pulled in one specific direction. This enhanced my experience that day because I became entranced with the crisp, clear sound of her piano playing. It was not a background effect, it WAS the music. Just Tori and her piano. At the time, I still considered myself a pianist (although I would never feign to say so now) and I was in awe of what she could do with just a piano and her voice.

These days I listen to Tori once in a blue moon just to reminisce. To remember that 16 year old girl who learned to drive with Tori in the speakers, who drove to Asilomar with friends and played them a few songs while watching a meteor shower, who met her first love due to their shared respect for Ms. Amos. But I have never pulled Tori out in my adult life and made someone listen to her. To me it is like an old shirt I love to wear once in a while and it doesn’t matter if no one likes it.

As I said though, Ani DiFranco is a different story. A few friends introduced me to Ani with her 6th and 7th albums, “Out of Range” and “Not a Pretty Girl.” I was hooked. What Tori had done with the piano, Ani was doing with her guitar. The difference is that Tori’s lyrics were easily ignored. I liked some of her sound but was never totally sure what she was talking about. The girl was crazy and by “Boys for Pele” she wasn’t just swimming in metaphors, she had drowned. Ani on the other hand had a way with words and phrases that pulled images and thoughts to my mind. Things I had felt or experiences I had were suddenly described by her in the most chillingly accurate way. Then on top of identifying with the lyrics, the sound of her music would match the feeling. The exact guitar riff or echoing word managed to pull at my gut and release me. It’s cheesy I know, but how many of you have found yourselves listening to a song and getting to that part where the lyrics and the sound make you shiver. For those who really can’t identify with female artists, maybe an example from Tool would help: in the song, “Prison Sex” when he sings “I have found some kind of temporary sanity in this” and then follows it up with the perfect excessive stuttering power of the music, you feel it.

Ani did this every time for me. She has been the most consistently successful at pleasing me with each album release. When she lost all her fans because she got married, it didn’t matter to me. I was a fan of her music, not just loyal because she was an “out”spoken woman. When she began to collaborate with Maceo Parker and got a little bit funkier, I ate it up. Every time she plays with her sound, I appreciate her evolution and respect her for exploring new sounds. She’s gone from a young angry lesbian to a politically aware activist of sorts. I like to see her grow and change. That’s what is supposed to happen.

Because of the respect I have for her and because I believe part of appreciating her music is following this evolution, I never like to force her upon people because I am sensitive to criticism. I don’t think everyone should like her, but I don’t think she should be lumped in with all women artists or flash in the pan crap. She is truly talented and hard working.

I bring all this up because of the two cd’s I just received. Tori’s fits with my nostalgia idea and I was a little disappointed that the accompanying DVD didn’t even come close to being worth watching. No big performance energy from her because it was a sound check clip and I think my friend Jennie in high school did a better video for “Precious Things” than Tori’s done for herself most of the time. Still, I was excited to listen.

Ani’s cd is yet another turn for her. Lately her public performances have been solo, much to my dismay because I truly love the horns and the gang. But I do like the want to get back to some more intimate settings. We all know what a bad idea it is for her to be up on stage with just her guitar at the outdoor stadium during Bumbershoot. Not a good match. This album takes the solo intimate idea to the studio.

Ani takes to her 8-track in a little room alone and plays each instrument, lays each track, mixes it all herself, and as always produces it as well. What you get is a very raw honest sound that makes you feel as if she sent you a personal look at something she’s been playing with. With ambient noise left in and a less than perfect sound quality, it feels like she’s harkening back to the days of creating something real in the studio instead of the plastic coating records usually sound like. As for the music itself, I am eager to spend a little time with it to see how it makes me feel. This could very well be the first album I don’t eat up, and there are a few songs that sound like remixes and rewrites of former songs, but it is still an amazing piece of work that she did single-handedly. Unfortunately, her fans have long ago stopped comparing her to other performers and only hold her up against herself. She is her own competition.

So there it is. My first big long music entry. For those who don’t know me, don’t assume you will find my CaseLogic filled with similar artists. I have eclectic tastes and I like a little of everything. Except New Country. You’ll NEVER find that in my player.