Red Letter Year

Red Letter Year is the 16th studio album by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, released on September 30, 2008.

Red Letter Year
Studio album by
Ani DiFranco
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2008 (2008-09-30)
Recorded2008
Genre
Length46:58
LabelRighteous Babe
Producer
  • Ani DiFranco
  • Mike Napolitano
Ani DiFranco chronology
Canon
(2007)		 Red Letter Year
(2008)		 ¿Which Side Are You On?
(2012)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(79/100)[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[2]
Allmusic[3]
BBC Musicfavorable[4]
Billboardfavorable[5]
The Boston Globemixed[6]
The New York Timesfavorable[7]
Paste(7.4/10)[8]
The Phoenix[9]
PopMatters(8/10)[10]
Slant[11]

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.”[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ani DiFranco.

No.TitleLength
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

References
  1. "Critic Reviews for Red Letter Year". Metacritic. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  2. Kim Ruehl. "Ani DiFranco – 'Red Letter Year'". About.com. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  3. Red Letter Year at AllMusic
  4. Michael Quinn (September 30, 2008). "Review of Ani DiFranco – Red Letter Year". BBC Music. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  5. Kerri Mason. "Red Letter Year". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  6. Marc Hirsh (September 30, 2008). "Ani's got a point, but what is it?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  7. Jon Pareles (second item) (September 28, 2008). "Critics' Choice: New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  8. Andy Whitman (October 2, 2008). "Ani DiFranco: Red Letter Year :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  9. Red Drozdowski (September 23, 2008). "Ani DiFranco – Red Letter Year". The Phoenix. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  10. Quentin B. Huff (October 2, 2008). "Ani DiFranco: Red Letter Year". PopMatters. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  11. Sal Cinquemani (September 20, 2008). "Ani DiFranco: Red Letter Year". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  12. "Shock Records: "Ani DiFranco to Release New Album Red Letters". Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
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