i've been a fan of ani's for a few years now, and i, like many "old school" fans, love her early work. it was gritty, controversial, and intimate. what i don't understand is the amount of flack she has been receiving for allowing herself to mature and grow... her voice, her lyrics, her music as a whole have long been a reflection of herself and the world as seen through ani's eyes. to the teeth is quite possibly my favorite ani production to date. from the scolding, honest tone of the title track to the funky sounds of maceo parker to the influence of "the artist" on providence, i was captivated by the album. i hate to point out the obvious, but times change, the world still turns, and life goes on. i'm honored to have the pleasure of hearing ani's music grow with it.

A lot of people complained when Ani Difranco released Little Plastic Castles. What is this? Where's teh fiery fast finger-picking and passionate political lyrics that we know and love? Admittedly, I was one of the ones complaining. Happily, I was not one of the ones who stopped listening. To The Teeth is the payoff for that perseverance.

This is the album that Up and Castles wanted to be, tried to be. Or maybe that I wanted them to be. This is the album that has been coming ever since the evolution began, since the queen of folk/punk started playing with jazz/funk arrangements, since she toned down the lyrics (in volume and tone, not in content. I'm learning nowadays that when Ani's being quiet, that's when to watch for flying objects.) This is the culmination, or maturation, of the (r)evolution.

Simply put, this album is excellent. From track one to I Know This Bar, there's hardly a forgettable track on the whole piece of plastic. That's freaking amazing. Personal favorites -- ones I play over and over and over again -- are Wish I May (perhaps the most despairing song ever), Freak Show, and Swing.

All of Ani's albums are good -- meaning better than the average folk/rock album -- but this is one of her best. And that's saying plenty.

-wk...

I have a feeling that fans who are new to Ani will enjoy this much more than old school fans. Not exactly words of wisdom, I know.

Fans who discovered Ani with Little Plastic Castle or UPUPUP will like To the Teeth, especially if they liked UPUPUP. To the Teeth is almost a continuation of UPUPUP. You can tell the direction she is heading just by the way she is playing her guitar. That direction is not anywhere near her older style... thus, old school fans tend to get more and more teed off as the newer material is recorded. And then newer fans tend to complain that old school fans complain too much. But it's hard to even compare her CD's to one another, especially when you fell in love with Ani's music back in her NotaPrettyDilate days.

The thing is, old school fans would like this CD if there was any other name besides Ani Difranco on it. As much as I think I should wince at the rap solo on "Swing" . . . I actually LIKE it. It's fun. Pure and simple. It shows exactly how she does not take herself too seriously. And I wouldn't have even known that Prince sang on "Providence" if it wasn't in the liner notes. The voices all blend together so beautifully. She's doing some amazing things musically on this CD, like playing the electric guitar in a way she's never done before.

My biggest complaint would have to be the title song. Don't get me wrong, it is a great song on the same level as Tis of Thee and even Untouchable Face, but it is a very serious political song that is placed at the very beginning of a CD that is more FunBouncyExperimental than SeriousFolkyPolitcal.

It's been a while since an Ani album was such fun and so varied, and the title track is, lyrically, one of those absolute gems that I wish I'd written and which consequently I'll be using as a yardstick for a long time to come.

Due to location I have yet to have the pleasure of seeing Ani play live; thus, without being in the position of often having heard the new album's material on stage months before release, my perspective differs to that of several of the other reviewers here. I buy the albums on release day. I jump straight to the lyric booklet. I absorb every written word on paper. Then, finally, without distractions and usually hours later, the CD goes in the player and I let it wash over me. Unfortunately with her last few, washing over me is exactly what they've done. The lyrics are always the reason I come back but with "Little Plastic Castles" & "Up Up..." I felt the music was lacking - maybe rushed, maybe hurried, maybe too convenient to throw together once the lyrics were finished - maybe she works the other way round, I dunno. Something wasn't right.

This jumped out at me the second I hit play. Emotion: regret, anger, reflection, sympathy. Great lyrics and for the first time in quite a while, the music rose to the same heights. With every twist and turn, it held my interest and pulled me further in. "Hello Birmingham" is so personal in its delivery, "Freakshow" is swathed in intrigue and perspective, "Providence" is vocally exquisite, and "The Arrivals Gate" and "I Know This Bar" paint two widely contrasting portraits of an artist who clearly sounds like she had immense fun putting this together.

In reflection, everything from 98's "Little Plastic Castles" up to the present seems to have been pointing to this excellent slice of groove based bliss that can boast such luminaries as Maceo Parker and whatever Prince calls himself these days as guest players. The punctuation in the musical flow always happens at just the right moments, the addition of brass instrumentation is both subtle and pushy in all the right places, and Ani's voice runs the full gamut from yearning and pensive to outrage and venom - it's a powerful and versatile instrument she controls via her larynx.

Best moment: it's a tough call. As a writer, "To the Teeth" and "Hello Birmingham" have the edge, but I find it hard to resist the lock-on grooves of "Back Back Back" or "Swing"; the jury's out but tapping their feet. This was easily one of my top 5 of last year.

After reading 87 customer reviews about this release, I couldn't help being a little disgusted with many long-time Ani Difranco fans. To question Ani's motives, in terms of commerciality, is completely ludicrous. If she wanted to, she could have sold the whole potato farm to Sony years ago, had a few MTV schlock hits, and now be relaxing in stead of playing 300 shows a year. To expect Ms. Difranco to go into the studio with just an acoustic guitar when she has access to musicians like Maceo Parker and "The Artist..." is also ludicrous. To call "To The Teeth" a sellout just because the important social statements it contains are wrapped around quite a bit of musical fun goes against all Ani stands for. How Dare one of our "Great Social Commentators" have fun, entertain, and laugh a little. When Bob Dylan "plugged in" at The Newport Folk Festival, the folk purists of his time turned on him. I suppose small- minded people will always set up heros to worship and then blame. If you are one of Ani's "Old fans," don't put this great artist in any boxes. She will escape every time, and you will just end up missing some great music. If you have never heard Ani, but have heard too much hype, don't expect her to live up to it. Buy this record and you will love it for years not in spite of but BECAUSE of its flaws. This artist is a human being making art for its own sake. Remember that?