Red Letter Year
by
Red Letter Year Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

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  • Summary: The latest release for this folk singer was produced with Mike Napolitano and was recorded in Louisiana.

Top Track

Smiling Underneath
i don't mind waiting in line no no i don't mind if the bills pile up and the work is slow i don't mind the gas or the groceries or the grind long as... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. The Boston Phoenix
    100
    This is DiFranco’s most sophisticated album, a musical convergence of her best qualities: warm singing, graceful writing, experimentation.
  2. Billboard
    80
    The 37-year-old singer/songwriter is a new mom in love with her daughter's dad, and the experience has saturated every element of her work, from the warmed-up sound of her voice and guitar, to the lessons learned at the end of her familiar narratives.
  3. The New York Times
    80
    In this diary, the groove can be as meaningful as the words.
  4. AllMusic
    80
    It is among DiFranco's best records, and along with Sam Phillips' "Don't Do Anything," one of the only singer/songwriter albums to really push the envelope in new directions in 2008.
  5. Paste Magazine
    74
    Looser and funkier than 2006’s "Reprieve," Red Letter Year is a dazzling folk/punk/jazz hybrid.
  6. Slant Magazine
    60
    There's nothing close to shitty about Red Letter Year; it's DiFranco's third redemptive studio album in a row (starting with 2005's "Knuckle Down") and that's certainly something worth celebrating.
  7. Boston Globe
    40
    Much of the album sounds like she's simply going through the motions, occasionally picking imagery seemingly just because it rhymes.

See all 8 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. NathanielS.
    Oct 1, 2008
    10
    Great album! Ani always does something different with every new release! Never disappoints!
  2. TheoM.
    Oct 3, 2008
    9
    Love the new production, cleaner without losing that "raw, in your face" vibe she does so well.
  4. Ravenous
    Nov 21, 2010
    6
    A decent album from one of our most innovative modern musicians and poets. Her strongest work was from 1995-2001, however, and this albumA decent album from one of our most innovative modern musicians and poets. Her strongest work was from 1995-2001, however, and this album simply doesn't represent her music at its best. Still, no one on earth can match this woman lyrically, a fact that her fans continue to appreciate.… Expand

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