I'm sure plenty of Ani fans will disagree, but I, for one, absolutely hated Educated Guess. I was almost disgusted with how she destroyed the song "Educated Guess" with those horiffic background vocals (not to mention every other song as well!) I was definitely unsure if I would buy another of her albums.

I took a chance, put my faith in her abilities, and pre-ordered Knuckle Down. The streams in my digital library seemed good enough that I would end up liking this album more than EG, at least.

After listening to this album for the past few days, I can definitely conclude that it is one of her best. The first five tracks are flawless (from there its a little hit or miss) and about half of the remaining eight are excellent. There are only a couple of songs that I'm "not feeling" yet.

At any rate, if you had lost faith in Ani after Educated Guess, definitely give her a second chance w/ this album - you won't regret it! :)

If you're new to Ani, I'd suggest a handful of other albums before this one, but definitely make sure to purchase this one at some point!

I've read several of the reviews below, and some are very good. My review of this album won't be quite as technical and thorough as those I've read, but I'll give you my honest opinion. This is a great cd. I've been listening to Ani for about 11 years now....I came in around the "Out of Range" and "Not a Pretty Girl" days. I was a very "devoted" fan (read crazed) for much of my late teens and into my early twenties...sometimes driving as long as 10 hours for a concert. I've loved several of her cd's along the way....Dilate, Little Plastic Castle, To the Teeth, Revelling/Reckoning, Evolve. But as life kept on going, and I got older, I became less and less crazed. Not because of her music, but because I had more going on.....more important things to worry about. I didn't even buy Educated Guess (I didn't even *gasp* realize that she had released it!) But after seeing her perform "Studying Stones" on, of all places, the CBS Saturday Early Show, I was intrigued about "Knuckle Down." So I got the cd, and expected to go through my usual Ani routine. Listen to it, think "hmmmm this isn't anything like Little Plastic Castle or To the Teeth or Evolve....I'm not sure I like it," and then a few weeks or months later listen to it and think "OH! I get it, this is awesome!" But I haven't been able to stop listening to it since it arrived in the mail. This cd has snapped me back to that old place. I'm not sure how, and I'm not sure why....but that's what's happened. I absolutely love this disc. It's really hard pick a favorite song (okay, maybe I like "Studying Stones", "Paradigm", and "Sunday Morning" a little more than the rest.) I'm not saying everyone will love this as much as I do. But if you've kept listening to Ani through the years, through all the different bands and styles and personal experiences, I think you'll dig this cd.

I was unimpressed with Educated Guess and Evolve. I'm happy to say Ani has returned full throttle with an album worthy of her Dilate/Revelling/Reckoning days. For the first time since R/R, I *feel* Ani again. Sumptous instruments frame typically gorgeous lyrics, and her singing is amazing, clear and without the annoying extra background vocals that plagued *Educated Guess*. Stand-out track is probably Parameters, because of its eerie instrumentation.

Although Ani Difranco has been directed away from her usual extensive touring - doctor's orders - and has thus been unable to promote her umpteenth studio album, "Knuckle Down" as heavily as previous releases, that in no way prevents it from being an outstanding achievement, much like the majority of her LPs. Though it does not quite match the sheer, uniform brilliance of its predecessor, 2004's lo-fi "Educated Guess," a triumphant collection of songs that fused the melancholy embers of her recent divorce and current political state of the US, it nevertheless is home to a new host of essential Difranco tunes.

The disc is initiated by the frantic, frothily produced self-exploration of the title track, which Difranco ends by observing, "still that star-struck girl is someone I miss." Then comes lead single "Studying Stones," where she delves as deeply into her personal life, outside of her divorce, as she ever has on record. The song is, simply put, amazing.

"'Course numb is an old hat/Old as my oldest memories/See that one's my mother/And that one's my father/And that one in the hat, that's me/It's a skill I'd hoped to abandon/When I got out on the open road/But any more pent up emotion/And I think I'm gonna explode."

To be sure, she has not finished immersing the subject of her divorce in her music, as the likes of "Seeing Eye Dog," Modulation" and "Manhole" are the furthest thing from subtle, revealing Difranco as the epitome of bitter. All are on the sarcastic side, clearly evident of her newfound sense of freedom and sensible approach to remedying her life's tribulations, while the former tells a story all too accessible to many who have been through similar circumstances.

"I threw myself a little role reversal and followed you home/Just dying to be chewed/The dog was chosen by the bone/Be my seeing eye dog/'Cause I am blind."

She is rather hard on herself in the anthemic "Lag Time," proclaiming with her confidant delivery above hooky guitar chords that she wishes to become far more capable of making sound judgments concerning her relationships with others in her life, and thus "tighten down on the lag time." Further on, in "Parameters" she narrowly talks her way out of getting raped by coaxing an intruder and would-be rapist "off the ledge of a very bad idea."

"New as you are, really, to the idea that/Even after you've long since gotten used to the parameters/They can all change/While you're out one night having a drink with a friend/Some big hand may be turning a big dial/Switching channels on your dreams/Until you find yourself lost in them/And watching your daily life with the sound off."

She also reminisces specifically of the high-maintenance side of her ex-husband in "Callous" and "Minerva," the latter in which she likens herself to the wise, stalwart Roman goddess. The ultimate highlight of the album, however, is "Paradigm," the only track on the disc which finds Difranco dishing up more of her political psyche.

"(I had to) teach myself to see each of us/Through the lens of forgiveness/Like we're stuck with each other (God forbid!)/Teach myself to smile and stop and talk/To a whole other color kid/Teach myself to be new in an instant/Like the truth is accessible at any time/Teach myself it's never really one or the other/There's a paradox in every paradigm."

The album concludes on a high note with "Recoil," where she realizes she has not been held "since I've been his" and that that's "probably all it is" that's made her recoil from her friends in her solitude. She also fondly recalls her father "who time travels mostly now," and ends the song with an invitation.

"To all the people out there tonight/Who are comforting themselves/If you should happen to see my light/You can stop and ring my bell/I'm just sittin' here in this sty/Strewn with half written songs/Taking one breath at a time/Nothin' much going on/Nothin' much going on."

Overall, "Knuckle Down" is a transitional record for Difranco, finding her surfacing between two different phases of her life. Listening to her contemplate her situation and those that surround her is thus all the more absorbing.

This cd is perfect. I own all of Ani cd but this one is by far my favorite. It is just simply put beautiful and the songs are sonic and lush. The strings add an element that is surreal and incredible, plus the song are just like little stories. Most of her cd take a little getting use to but with this one just let it play and you will be hypnotized! Studying Stones, Sunday Morning, Manhole and Callous are little master pieces and they alone will take your breath away.