Difranco's talent builds in 'Castle'

REVIEW
	Righteous Babe Little Plastic Castle Ani Difranco

Eight years and 10 albums later, Ani Difranco and her label have achieved astonishing success beyond what the singer-songwriter and now business guru could ever have imagined.

Ms. Difranco has outdone even her own success this time with "Little Plastic Castle," an album that marks a huge jump forward in Ani's musical talents, while at the same time includes the familar elements that have made her so successful in the past.

The most notable change on "Castle," distinguishing it from all her past work, is the addition of instruments like the saxophone, trumpet and trombone to various tracks.

"Deep Dish," for example, sounds like something from a dance club; a unique blend of Difranco's traditional punk-folk sound with jazz and modern dance. The title song is presented at first in Difranco's traditional style, with the addition of an upb eat horn section half-way through.

It is truly impressive the way Difranco, whose strength historically has been in her solo performances (or sometimes backed by a small rhythm section) is able to jam with a large instrumental section behind her.

For fans who can't get used to this new style, there are plenty of songs with just vocals and basic instrumentation. "As Is" and "Swan Dive," for example, are reminders of the raw talent for which Difranco has been praised in the past. These songs focus on her unique style of guitar playing with vehement fingerpicking that seems almost violent at times.

The lyrics on "Castle" are as powerful as ever, and include reflections on a wider variety of topics than on previous releases. Rather than focusing almost exclusively on personal relationships or political commentary, Difranco has balanced a variety of different themes on the album, and has maintained a consistent sense of imagery throughout.

In "Fuel," Ani wonders "who's gonna be president tweedle dumb or tweedle dumber / and who's going to have the big blockbuster box office this summer."

Not surprisingly, the most prevalent lyrics on "Castle" deal with interpersonal relationships. In "As Is," she advises a friend to "just give up and admit you're an asshole / you would be in some good company." Vocally, "Castle" is extremely successful as well. Difranco does all the singing in her original staccato style that is always enjoyable to hear. A few tracks are particularly interesting because of the way mutiple layers of Difranco's voice are seamlessy blended, producing a somewhat spooky yet robust sound.

One of "Castle's" highlights is the studio version of the previously released live track "Gravel." This much more refined version, while not quite as emotionally intense as its predecessor, is impressive in its own structured context.

Other songs, including "Indepen-dence Day" and "Two Little Girls," will also sound familiar to fans as they were regularly performed live throughout Difranco's summer and fall tour dates.

The album ends with a 14 minute version of the poem "Pulse" set to a very stimulating instrumental jam. It has a highly sensual feel, placing the listener in the basement of a smoke-filled, low-key coffee shop in the city. This track is yet another example of "Castle's" diversity.

Tomorrow morning get up, get in line and get prepared to enter a new era of Ani Difranco.

02-17-98