Red Letter Year
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (79/100) |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com | |
| Allmusic | |
| BBC Music | favorable |
| Billboard | favorable |
| The Boston Globe | mixed |
| The New York Times | favorable |
| Paste | (7.4/10) |
| The Phoenix | |
| PopMatters | (8/10) |
| Slant |
Red Letter Year is the 16th studio album by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, released on September 30, 2008.
Says DiFranco about the album: “When I listen to my new record, I hear a very relaxed me, which I think has been absent in a lot of my recorded canon. Now I feel like I’m in a really good place. My partner Mike Napolitano co-produced this record – my guitar and voice have never sounded better, and that’s because of him. I’ve got this great band and crew. And my baby, she teaches me how to just be in my skin, to do less and be more.”
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ani DiFranco.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Red Letter Year" | 4:17 |
| 2. | "Alla This" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Present/Infant" | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Smiling Underneath" | 4:59 |
| 5. | "Way Tight" | 3:50 |
| 6. | "Emancipated Minor" | 4:30 |
| 7. | "Good Luck" | 2:35 |
| 8. | "The Atom" | 5:26 |
| 9. | "Round a Pole" | 2:58 |
| 10. | "Landing Gear" | 2:55 |
| 11. | "Star Matter" | 2:48 |
| 12. | "Red Letter Year Reprise" | 6:26 |
| 13. | "Good Luck (alternative version)" (iTunes bonus track) | 2:31 |
Personnel
- Ani DiFranco – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, tenor guitar, 12 string guitar, guitar synth, ukuleles, optigan, Wurlitzer, synthesizers, percussion
- Todd Sickafoose – Fender bass, bowed basses, piano, Wurlitzer, pump organ, synthesizer
- Mike Dillon – marimba, vibraphone, percussion, tubular bells
- Allison Miller – drums, percussion
- String quartet on tracks 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 (arranged by Todd Sickafoose) Jenny Scheinman – violin Megan Gould – violin Jessica Troy – viola Marika Hughes – cello
- C. C. Adcock – electric guitar on tracks 3, 4
- Richard Comeaux – pedal steel guitar on tracks 3, 5, 10
- Animal Prufrock – piano on track 4, percussion on track 6
- Jeff Klein – vocals on track 6
- Rene Lopez – percussion on track 6
- Jon Hassell – trumpet on track 11
- The Rebirth Brass Band on tracks 1 and 12 Phil Frazier – tuba (band leader) Derrick Shezbie – trumpet Glen Andrews – trumpet Stafford Agee – trombone Corey Henry – trombone Vincent Broussard – saxophone Byron (Flee) Bernard – saxophone Derrick Tabb – snare drum Shorty Frazier – bass drum
Production
- Produced by Mike Napolitano and Ani DiFranco
- Recorded and mixed by Mike Napolitano at The Dugout, New Orleans, Louisiana and at Dockside, Maurice, Louisiana
- Additional engineers at Dockside – David Rashou, Corie Richie
- Rebirth Brass Band recorded by Jack Miele at Fudge, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jon Hassell recorded by Jesse Voccia
- Rene Lopez recorded by Ken Rich
- Strings recorded by Tony Maimone at Studio G, Brooklyn, New York
- Additional recording by Ani DiFranco and Todd Sickafoose
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Billboard 200 | 55 |
| 2008 | Top Independent Albums | 8 |