3
Ani Difranco ... Little Plastic Castle
Righteous Babe Music/BMI

When I drew up a preliminary list at the end of December, this CD didn't even make it into the top 30. And then three weeks ago, sitting down late at night to write, I haphazardly inserted Little Plastic Castle into my CD player. I found myself instantly listening more than writing, each song like an old forgotten friend from last spring. No one could ever pull off Ani's trademark guitar strum: "Gravel" or her cracking girlish voice: "Loom" with even an ounce of her verve. When "Independence Day" inspired tears that night, I knew this was not an album go unnoticed, in my list or otherwise. Simply touching. Kudos: "Gravel" spins our inconsistencies with honest acceptance.