 "Yet another textbook praiseworthy release of solid material" | 2007-10-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A8IFUOL8S9BZC |
| A strong release from the aggressive indie songstress offers another captivating glimpse into the impressive songwriting and stylistic range dripping from DiFranco's acoustic command. Her skilled use of arpeggios continues to be amongst modern singer-songwriting's most compelling. But with all that talent comes the burden of matching vocals to the rhythmic intuition behind her brilliant strumming. It is often here that Ani falters, offering vocals stuffed with self-conscious delivery and over-enunciated bellowing that rings less true each time replayed. It is a shame really, since the times we do get to glimpse her voice completely at it's purest she sounds as close to honest as a million of her signature lyrics could suggest. Thankfully, this is pretty much one of those albums that just grows stronger as the songs go by; even tracks that don't quite feel uniformly solid benefit from an intelligent melodic sense and of course, DiFranco's unabashed personality. |
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 "This is Ani at her best." | 2007-08-09 |
| - Reviewed By sjs000 |
If you don't like this album, you don't like Ani DiFranco, and you may well be dead.
The lyrics ("life used to be life-like, now it's more like showbiz") are razor-sharp, the music is stellar (standouts are the title track and Shameless), and the song selection holds together very well. |
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| "Dilated Angst" | 2007-04-11 |
| - Reviewed By punkboy81 |
I don't know anyone who doesn't relate to the angst and anger demonstrated on Ani's Dilate album. This album helped me channel many demons over the years. Most notably, "Untouchable Face" which somehow tapped into almost everyone's conciousness. The whole album is fulled of punch and pissiness from "Superhero" (I used to be a Superhero, I would swoop down and save me from myself/ and you were like a phone booth that I somehow stumbled into/ and now I am just like everyone else), all cleverly written, all acoustically and powerfully performed. I've tried other Ani CD's but Dilate is to me her crowned achievement. Even covering "Amazing Grace" with a very pissy mood to it, the "Napoleon" bitch fest about the record business, and a lot of moody broken heart love songs. Dilate is genius and even all these years later I can't stop playing it.
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| "The irony of why I love this CD just makes it that much better..." | 2006-06-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: A23SSDQ989T329 |
I never heard any Ani DiFranco music before I met my ex-boyfriend, so I didn't really know much about her. He was really into folk music, so he gave me this disc to listen to. Well I fell in love with her music right away. It was bouncy and fun, and lyrically it was like nothing else I had ever heard before. I love her style and how she paints a perfect picture with her words, so I was hooked. Well the ironic part is I swear either all guys are the same, or she was singing about my ex 99% of the time. I have never related more to a song before I heard the title track 'Dilate'. It became an anthem for a while, and when I hear it now 3 years later I start laughing to myself because it still feels so amazingly spot on.... "you are so lame, you always disappoint me, it's kind of like our running joke, except it's really not funny, and I just want you to live up to the image of you I've created, I see you and I'm so unsatisfied, I see you and I dilate"... "When I say you sucked my brain out, the English translation is I am in love with you and it is no fun".... I don't know, it's like she was in my head, and just had a better way of expressing exactly how I felt. Most of the songs had something about them that rang true to me, not just on this album though, the live disc 'Living in Clip' had many of the same songs and then some others that also seemed to be narrating my life at the time.
Anyway her music is great, even if you aren't in a crazy relationship. However if you are, this is music that might just help you get your strength back, I know at times I would listen to it religiously because there was something so comforting about it, maybe it was just because she does a better job of expressing her anger and frustration. It felt like I could just put a song on for him and make him understand how I felt, but of course it never worked out that way.
Anyway the irony of who turned me on to her music will forever make me smile, and when I listen to it now it is just a great reminder of how good I have it with my husband to be. For those who just appreciate honest music created by a talented poet and musician this album should not disappoint. |
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| "Fighting Back" | 2005-02-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3UN6WX5RRO2AG |
Ani is so AWESOME!!!!! She puts out her opinions in strong catchy music. Yeah theres profanity but that just makes it STRONGER!!!
Watch out world here comes Ani Difranco!!! |
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| "My favorite in 1996 and still my favorite in 2004!" | 2004-10-04 |
| - Reviewed By sablack |
| This is my favorite album of all time. It helped me through a really difficult time in 1996 and I still listen to it over and over again now. I love the way she tells her stories in her music and almost every song on this album still gives me chills almost 10 years later! |
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| "Another good Ani album" | 2004-08-02 |
| - Reviewed By pacificador_testarudo |
As I warned in my review for Little Plastic Castle: background info before writing this review will probly help Ani fans reading it. I'm not an Ani fan in the sense of agreeing with all her messages and supporting the things she does. I am a fan, however, who admires her outspoken honesty. She knows exactly what she feels, thinks, and believes and isn't one bit afraid to put it out there & in your face. That takes guts, more power to her.
Now, to review Dilate. I just got this recently and it's one of those CD's that I had to listen to a time or three to get used to, but I really like it. It's different from all the other CD's I have by Ani (well that was a stupid statement, all her CD's are different!) I own these albums: Little Plastic Castle, To The Teeth, Revelling/Reckoning and Evolve. This album, so it seems from listening to it in comparison to the others I have and from reading reviews, is the album when she changes from her old style to the newer one on LPC and following ones. It's great because it has her stripped down style with some major changes like samples, hip-hop type beats, and electric guitar.
Track 1, "Untouchable Face," is an nice song with a mellow beat and guitar. From the lyrics it sounds like she's in love with someone who's already taken, and is regretting it. Her use of the 'f-word' can be misleading, I don't necessarily think it's supposed to be a rage-filled song, it's more sarcastic I think (just my opinion).
If this album were a roller coaster, the first song would be the ramp leading to the top & the second song, "Outta Me Onto You" would be the first terrifying drop! It's so energetic in its anger that it's a little startling & very listenable too. It's the perfect song if you're pissed off @ someone! :)
I really enjoyed number 3, "Superhero," because we all know how Ani dislikes pop music & things of that sort, just the everyday things of Hollywood and so on. I find the lyrics of this one very funny & honest, because she admits that no matter how much those sappy love songs & things annoy her, the feelings from them have struck her! So she feels like everyone else in that manner. It's kinda tongue-in-cheek, or ironic if you will.
I think that "Dilate" could be my favorite song on the album. It starts out rather tame, then at the end of the second verse the music gets louder and more intense. When I listened to it the first time I jumped at the line where she says, "I look at you / and I dilate" because it's like the volume doubles! It's a surprising song that's got everything as far as sound: bitter, sweet, calm, frenzied.
I think a lot of people can relate to "Napoleon," or at least I can. Many people have experienced having a friend get famous or popular and then leave you in the dust, it's a gutwrenching feeling. She handles that subject well, it's a sad message but she always pulls even sad songs off well.
Awesome album! Glad I gave it a few spins before deciding I didn't like it. I should do that more often with CD's... :) |
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| "Brooding, Blunt and Personal" | 2004-06-18 |
| - Reviewed By bethtexas |
| Some people were annoyed, if I remember right, when Ani DiFranco made this album -- much more brooding and with a lot more backup band than her others. To them, I said: "She already made like a gazillion albums in her other style! She recorded more songs already than most artists ever will. How long was she supposed to keep going before trying something new?" I figure she has to either reinvent herself or get bored, and I think she made the right choice I think this album is a TRIUMPH. It's mopey, honest, and absolutely heartfelt. Her lyrics are just as smart as ever. SUPERHERO is a fantastic song about how when we fall in love, we all become ridiculous cliches ... no matter how 'above it' we thought we were before. ADAM AND EVE is a powerful, brooding feminist statement about men who "leave you in the morning". OUT OF ME, ONTO YOU is more or less ... a curse on someone you hate. I think DILATE is a gem, and every Ani fan should take it back out again and listen to it with fresh ears. |
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| "A Jerk with the heartache" | 2003-11-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A265YSB0K830O1 |
| Intrigued by the cover, I bought this cd, coincidentally after getting dumped. Then while acustoming myself to the album, I got rejected incessently. My pain was captured perfectly by Ani's Dilate. Its now one of my favorite albums. So sad, so beautiful. It is the perfect crawling into a corner and crying album. |
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| "On my "My Fifteen Favorite Albums Ever" list" | 2003-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| My favorite Ani songs are scattered across all her albums, so it was tough to pick one album as my favorite, but if forced I'd have to pick Dilate, not for having the most faves but the best total effect. In fact it contains neither of my absolute favorite Ani songs, Not A Pretty Girl and Little Plastic Castles. But this is Difranco at her aggressive folk best, lacking the later jazz and world music influences. Superhero and Napoleon stand out, but all the tracks are clever and moving. |
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