Ani DiFranco
Educated Guess
On Righteous Babe Records
Grade: AAni DiFranco has officially left the band behind. She hasn't been touring with them for almost a year now, instead choosing to strike out on her own, shielded only by her array of different acoustic guitars.

Now, on her 14th studio album Educated Guess, DiFranco has translated her resolve to "go solo" from the stage to the mixing board. Not only did DiFranco record the entire album herself, playing all the instruments and providing all the background vocals as well, but she also produced and mixed the songs. Combined with the fact that DiFranco has always released her records from her own label, Righteous Babe Records, the folk singer has now defined herself as a truly independent artist.

Educated Guess seems like the next step in the logical progression of Ani DiFranco's musical evolution. She allows herself to play with intricate guitar melodies that are often dissonent and unexpected. The first song on this album (which is opened with a short poem called "Platforms") is called "Swim," a well-known and often-performed part of DiFranco's live show. A bouncy and catchy tune, "Swim" is ridiculously singable. But where the song is simple and a bit giddy in concert, on Educated Guess it features warring guitars and complicated harmonies. The listener's first instinct, if they are already familiar with this song, is to pull away-the change is both unexpected and a little disturbing. But after several listens it becomes apparent that this musical complexity is actually complimentary to the lyrics, which aren't as happy as the melody would have the listener believe.

This willingness to play with the music in order to match the mood and theme of the lyrics of each song is where Educated Guess really excells. DiFranco is first and foremost a poet-her lyrics have the ability to be far more poignant and imapctful than any of her contemporaries. Her newfound creative independence has allowed them to shine in ways they haven't been able to before.

Not every song on the album is a winner-I wasn't particularly fond of "Origami," "Bodily" or "Company," all of which were a bit too abrasive or superfluous for my ears. But as usual, DiFranco's good easily outweighs the bad.

The album's title track is a great example of multi-tracked harmonies paired with vivid lyrics like "And to each noun, verb and predicate / I dedicate a vivid hue / But you ain't done to well / Getting past your permanent pastel / Have you?"

And, in true Ani fashion, DiFranco has included one of her epic ruminations on the current state of our country. Following in the footsteps of the landmark "Self-Evident" and its sucessor "Serpentine," DiFranco this time offers us "Grand Canyon."

"I love my country," begins DiFranco. She speaks of "working for the better good / (which is good at its best) / and too, bearing witness / like a woman bears a child: / with all her might" and about how "I mean, no song has gone unsung here / and this joint is strung crazy tight / and people been raising up their voices / since it just ain't been right."

Educated Guess is not a perfect album. It has high points and low points. But DiFranco's musical instincts have never steered her wrong before, and as she begins to clear a path with only her voice and a guitar for guidance, she is making far more than an educated guess on her part. She is doing exactly what both she and her fans want her to do.