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Nov 12, 2014The thing is, despite the strength of the band (which also includes bassist Todd Sickafoose and guest Ivan Neville), much of the 12-song album feels like filler.
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Nov 12, 2014“Harder Than It Needs to Be” finds DiFranco hitting her stride, as it optimizes her knack for blending different musical genres—in this case, jazz with country and blues—and for delivering wisdom through clear, no-bullshit vocal inflections. If Allergic to Water had drawn upon these strengths more consistently, the album might have yielded a more delicately handled, astutely observed meditation on social and cultural issues that demand just as much attention now as ever.