I let a buddy of mine hear "Back Back Back" off Ani Difranco's To the Teeth album yesterday, and this was his reaction:

He bobbed his head. He bobbed and shook his head. He bobbed and shook his head and started frowning.

"Is she a Prince protege?" he asked me. I told him no, that she's an accomplished artist in her own right -- though that song's CD featured a duet between her and Prince.

"Well, Prince is all over this song, man! No one does rhythm like that. That's his kind of meter!" he yelled. My buddy, a fellow musician and producer with a deep knowledge of musicians and their respective styles, SWEARS that Prince at the very least arranged "Back Back Back" and, he suspects, other songs on the CD.

I'm inclined to believe that Ani's just a bad woman in her own right. But, has anyone heard anything to suggest that P contributed more to To the Teeth than some vox on "Providence?"

ThreadBare said:

Ani is bad as bad can be, so I wouldn't doubt it's her. From what I know, all Prince did on the album was the backing vocals for "Providence" (a magnificent song, for those of you who haven't had the pleasure).

ThreadBare said:

You know, I've always thought the same thing...back, back, back, just has a very princely vibe to me too...which is maybe why it's one of my all time faves from ani.

FunkMistress said:

Yeah, I'm spinning "providence" right now.

I think so. Especially "The Arrival's Gate" has a disturbingly farmilliar vibe to the
1992 album.

The soundeffects, the drumprogramming. It sounds to me like an instrumental that Prince
gave to Ani, to which she added her guitar parts and her own lyrics.

FunkMistress said:

Ani is bad as bad can be, so I wouldn't doubt it's her. From what I know, all Prince did on the album was the backing vocals for "Providence" (a magnificent song, for those of you who haven't had the pleasure).[/quote]

I agree. I can't claim to know anything for certain-- for all I know Prince doesn't write his own songs. If he did, he must've also written songs for her subsequent albums, in which case he better keep some of that material for himself.

Now that I think about it there's no way he did anymore than a Lisa or Wendy did for his music. Ani's spirit is all over her music like Prince's is with his and you just know it comes from the heart. Hell, that question's a slap to Ani's face if you ask me.

Coming from an outsider (since I don't know Ani personally): a resounding NO.

DiFranco is a big fan of Prince's and has covered both "When You Were Mine" and "When Doves Cry" at live gigs over the years. Coming from that perspective you could logically say that she is somewhat influenced by Prince. BUT, DiFranco is damn funky and full of musical and lyrical depth on her own, and had been proving it even BEFORE the To The Teeth album.

That album might be the overall funkiest in her catalog, but even if you go and listen to her "Hat Shaped Hat" from the Up Up Up Up Up Up album you'll find snippets that even sound like Parliament. She also has been displaying a more jazzy influence in many of her songs since the addition of horns and horn solos in some of her compositions, has singled out Maceo Parker's Life On Planet Groove as one of her favorite all time albums, and of course had Maceo's son Corey rapping on "Swing" from the To The Teeth album.


Ani DiFranco has grown some FUNK OF HER OWN.

Thanks, you all.

Supernova said:

Maceo is on Back Back Back which "might" go someway to explaining why it sounds so funky, and Ani brought out this album after touring with Maceo which might go someway to explaining it, but anyway, Ani as Maceo himself said can be very funky... and goodness knows we need her