Sacramento 10.25.03 - The One Ani Album to Skip!
Written: Dec 27 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: God's Country
Cons: Too similar to the last bootleg.
The Bottom Line: Skip it.
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| JennJoy's Full Review: Sacramento 10.25.03 - Ani DiFranco Movies |
Sacramento 10.25.03 was the second release in Ani DiFranco's "official" bootleg series, following just over a month behind Atlanta 10.09.03 I really enjoyed the first edition largely because it had been awhile since I'd been to an Ani show (a few months is a long time!) and it served as a nice interlude between studio releases. The only gripe I had with the Atlanta recording was the lack of new material that is so often a mainstay of DiFranco's live show, but it was still a rather good live disc. The Sacramento CD was a gift and while I still love Ani DiFranco's music this album just didn’t live up to its potential.
Unfortunately, the lack of new material is a problem for Sacramento 10.25.03 as well only this time it is compounded by a few too many overlapping song choices. For instance, both albums include versions of "Subdivision," "Gravel," "Phase," "Second Intermission," and "Evolve." While all are songs I enjoy, these five take up a third of the space on the Sacramento album. As a result there just isn't enough going on here to really separate the Sacramento show from the Atlanta show - and frankly, with such a huge catalog of songs to choose from a little variety would be nice.
Sacramento 10.25.03 also includes a number of recent tunes such as the title track from Educated Guess, "Rain Check," "Serpentine," and "Company." Again, these are good songs but I still find myself hoping for a more diverse selection. Ani does reach out a bit for opening track "God's Country" (from Puddle Dive) which doesn't make it on to her setlist very often and the addition of "Clip Clap Clack" (a poem which appeared as part of the liner notes on Educated Guess), but these are the exceptions not the rule. I'm sorry to have to say it, but two standouts of fifteen do not make a stellar album and I definitely anticipate more from Ms. DiFranco.
It's easy to understand that as a recording of one singular show instead of selections from multiple shows (like Ani’s earlier "live" recordings) you are simply getting whatever the setlist was that night. If I was at this show I probably would have been pleased by the selections for the most part. However, as the second such release featuring a lot of the same material Sacramento 10.25.03 just doesn't move me. Listening to these two discs is almost like sitting through the same show twice in one night. The recording quality is great and at $10.00 the price is right, but that doesn't keep me from being disappointed with this release.
It seems it would have been better to select a different show instead of releasing a second, too familiar disc right after the first. The third bootleg in this series, the two disc Portland 4.7.04, fits the bill much better. For that reason, if you are interested in Ani DiFranco's bootlegs I would suggest skipping Sacramento and moving right to the third. There's nothing here that you can't find elsewhere and unless you are absolutely set on having a complete DiFranco recording collection Sacramento 10.25.03 isn't worth your time.
Recommended:
No
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JennJoy
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