¿Which Side Are You On?

¿Which Side Are You On? is the 17th studio album by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, released on January 17, 2012.

¿Which Side Are You On?
Studio album by
Ani DiFranco
ReleasedJanuary 17, 2012 (2012-01-17)
Recorded2010–2011
Genre
Length52:42
LabelRighteous Babe
Producer
  • Ani DiFranco
  • Mike Napolitano
Ani DiFranco chronology
Red Letter Year
(2008)		 ¿Which Side Are You On?
(2012)		 Allergic To Water
(2014)

The title track is a revised version of the 1931 Florence Reece song "Which Side Are You On?" which was popularized by Pete Seeger. Seeger also provides accompanying vocals and banjo on the track.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(69/100)[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
The A.V. ClubC[4]
Consequence of Sound[5]
Entertainment WeeklyC[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
musicOMH[8]
PopMatters[9]
Robert ChristgauA−[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Slant Magazine[12]

The album has a score of 69 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[2] The Boston Globe gave it a favorable review and stated that most of it "strikes a natural balance between matters of the heart and causes close to DiFranco's heart."[13] The Independent gave it four stars out of five and called it "Ani DiFranco's first album in three years [that] finds the self-proclaimed Righteous Babe in feisty, thoughtful form."[14] Blurt gave the album seven stars out of ten and stated: "The melodies aren't so easily embraced; loping, ephemeral and often sounding blithely disconnected, they defy any attempt at grasping an easy hook or chorus. What's more, the loose grooves sometimes run counter to the tunes' sense of profundity."[15]

Mojo gave it three stars out of five and said the album was "sweet and to the point."[2] Now also gave it three stars out of five and stated that the album "works best when DiFranco points to contradictions within herself, and worst when her lyrics get preachy or black-and-white."[16] The Daily Telegraph likewise gave it three stars and said that DiFranco's "worthier sentiments are balanced by maturing wit, self-awareness and the distinctive snap'n'slap of her funky guitar grooves."[17] Entertainment Weekly, however, gave the album a C and said that DiFranco "gets stuck in too many clunky Big Idea statements about equality and social politics."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ani DiFranco (except track 3 by Florence Reece & Ani DiFranco)

No.TitleLength
1."Life Boat"4:09
2."Unworry"4:17
3."¿Which Side Are You On?"6:27
4."Splinter"4:36
5."Promiscuity"3:20
6."Albacore"4:08
7."J"5:15
8."If Yr Not"2:51
9."Hearse"4:04
10."Mariachi"4:03
11."Amendment"6:27
12."Zoo"3:08

Personnel

Adapted from the credits.[18]

  • Ani DiFranco – guitars, electric guitar, baritone guitar, tenor guitar, 12-string, percussion, synth bass, keyboards, synthesizer, harpsichord, drum, bells, voices, atmospherics
  • Todd Sickafoose – bass, bowed bass, electric bass, wurlitzer piano, mellotron, piano, harpsichord, theremin, sk1, bells, pump organ
  • Andy Borger – drums and percussion
  • Mike Dillon – vibraphone, tympanis, tubular bells, percussion, triangle, atmospherics
  • Allison Miller – drums, backing voice
  • Adam Levy – distorted electric guitar, electric guitar
  • CC Adcock – clean electric guitar
  • Pete Seeger – banjo, backing voice
  • Derrick Tabb – snare drum
  • The Rivertown Kids – backing voices
  • The Roots of Music Marching Crusaders – horns and drums
  • Michael Juan Nunez – pedal steel guitar
  • Dave Rosser – electric guitar
  • Ivan Neville – keyboard bass, synthesizer, backing voice
  • Cyril Neville – drums
  • Anaïs Mitchell – backing voice
  • Jeffrey Clemens – percussion
  • Ashley Toman – harp
  • Ben Ellman – tenor saxophone
  • Mark Mullins – trombone
  • Matt Perrine – tuba
  • Mike Napolitano – drum loops
  • Skerik – tenor saxophone (solo) and atmospherics

Production

  • Produced by Ani DiFranco and Mike Napolitano
  • Recorded by Mike Napolitano at Studio in the Country, Bogaloosa, LA
  • Additional Engineering – Ben Mumphry
  • Assistant Engineer – Jay Wesley at Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
  • Additional Engineering – Andy Taub
  • Assistant Engineer and Pro Tools Operator Extraordinaire – Ben Liscio
  • Mixed by Mike Napolitano and Ani DiFranco
  • Mastered by Brent Lambert at The Kitchen
  • Art Direction – Ani DiFranco and Brian Grunert
  • Design – Brian Grunert, Annie Stoll, and Maria Taczak
  • Peacock Photograph – Michael Napolitano
  • Ani Photographs – Patti Perret
  • Funnel and Feather Photographs – Biff Henrich[18]

Charts

The album debuted at No. 82 on the Canadian Albums Chart[19] and at No. 26 on the Billboard 200.[20]

References
  1. "Ani DiFranco new album out in January". Windy City Times. November 7, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  2. "Critic Reviews for Which Side Are You On?". Metacritic. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  3. Monger, James Christopher. "Which Side Are You On? – Ani DiFranco". Allmusic. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  4. Lewis, Catherine P. (January 17, 2012). "Which Side Are You On? – Ani DiFranco". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  5. de Revere, Paul (January 6, 2012). "Album Review: Ani DiFranco – Which Side Are You On?". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  6. Anderson, Kyle (January 20, 2012). "¿Which Side Are You On? review – Ani DiFranco Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  7. Wappler, Margaret (January 16, 2012). "Album review: Ani DiFranco's '¿Which Side Are You On?'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  8. Murphy, John (January 16, 2012). "Ani DiFranco – ¿Which Side Are You On?". musicOMH. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  9. Hong, Nianyi (January 17, 2012). "Ani DiFranco: Which Side Are You On?". PopMatters. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  10. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Ani DiFranco". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  11. Hermes, Will (January 17, 2012). "Which Side Are You On?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  12. Keefe, Jonathan (January 16, 2012). "Ani DiFranco: Which Side Are You On?". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  13. Reed, James (January 17, 2012). "Ani DiFranco, '¿Which Side Are You On?'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 29, 2013.(subscription required)
  14. Gill, Andy (January 13, 2012). "Album: Ani Difranco, Which Side Are You On? (Righteous Babe)". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  15. Zimmerman, Lee (January 17, 2012). "Ani DiFranco – ¿Which Side Are You On?". Blurt. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  16. Greene, Sarah (February 23, 2012). "Ani Difranco – ¿Which Side Are You On?". Now. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  17. Brown, Helen (January 13, 2012). "Ani DiFranco: Which Side Are You On, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  18. "Ani DiFranco-Which Side Are You On?". November 7, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  19. "CANOE – JAM! Music – SoundScan Charts". Jam.canoe.ca. June 26, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  20. "Ani DiFranco – Chart Positions". Billboard.com. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
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