Out of Range (CD - 1994)

Personnel: Ani DiFranco (vocals, acoustic, steel & electric guitar, piano, percussion); Andy Stochansky (vocals, dumbek, drums); Scot Fisher (accordion); Colleen Allen (saxophone); Sara McElcheran (trumpet); Stephen Donald (trombone); Chris Brown (piano); Alisdair Jones (bass).

Recorded at 1:2:1 Recording Studios, Toronto, Canada in December 1993.

Personnel: Ani DiFranco (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, piano, percussion); Andy Stochansky (vocals, drums, dumbek); Scot Fisher (accordion); Colleen Allen (saxophone); Sarah McElcheran (trumpet); Stephen Donald (trombone); Chris Brown (piano).

Photographer: Scot Fisher.

1994's OUT OF RANGE, quite possibly the finest of Ani DiFranco's many albums, finds the outspoken Buffalo, New York-based singer-songwriter moving away from the explicit political statements of her earlier records. Here she further explores the more autobiographical terrain of this album's immediate predecessor, PUDDLE DIVE, while also expanding on that album's tentative steps into a full-band sound.

Although OUT OF RANGE still contains several voice-and-guitar pieces, Andy Stochansky's drumming and percussion are better integrated. Keyboards and horns also make guest appearances. Overall, the intimate, not-quite-lo-fi album sounds not unlike Liz Phair's EXILE IN GUYVILLE, a fact that probably helped trend-sniffing music journalists finally notice DiFranco-four years and six albums into her career. The astonishingly good songwriting, particularly on the stirring "Face Up and Sing" and the winsome "The Diner," undoubtedly helped as well. This is one of the '90s finest singer-songwriter albums. minimize