12 EVENT MUSIC more interruptions now that daugh- song The Atom is an open letter to Her wealth of inner strength might ter Petah, who at 18 months is already fundamentalist Christians, suggesting have come from survival skills she a seasoned traveller, is on the scene, that they devote their energy to developed living on her own from the but it’s been a benefit to her life and preserving God’s creations by taking age of 15. She started her own record SPIRITED her art. a pro-environmental stance. label at 19. ‘‘This record sounds better because Present/Infant is a more personal In the early years she was I took a little time with it,’’ she says. song about self-acceptance. portrayed as an ‘‘angry young ‘‘I’ve got my baby and her daddy to ‘‘It’s about laying eyes on my woman’’, but that didn’t really fit. thank for that.’’ daughter for the first time and going, ‘‘Certainly all those other young On cue, Petah gurgles in the ‘Oh no, she looks like me!’ And then women that were coming out right AWAY background, entertaining herself in going, ‘Oooh, that’s a f--ked-up thing from the very beginning to my shows, yet another dressing room. to think’. And going from there into ‘‘She’s really well behaved,’’ says having to address wholeheartedly my they seemed very excited and very Prolific songwriter Ani DiFranco has her mum. ‘‘We have a ‘trick’ baby, we self-loathing before I teach it to her.’’ joyful at hearing the things we were say, because it makes all of our Her natural approach and rallying saying and it certainly made me more released her 17th album and will perform in friends want to have babies. She’s call of confidence (‘‘I am not a kitten joyful,’’ she says. Brisbane in February, writes Sally Browne pretty easy going.’’ stuck up a tree’’ she sang in Not a Right now she is abuzz with the In January, DiFranco, who now Pretty Girl) has made her a feminist general celebratory atmosphere in the US following the recent presiden- THERE are free spirits, and then Girl, Pick Your Nose) and her live lives among the bayous and banjo icon. players of New Orleans, comes to In 2006 she received the Woman tial election. there is Ani DiFranco. shows are full of levity and insight. Australia for a tour that reaches of Courage Award from the US DiFranco, who has been asking Bursting on to the scene as a The prolific guitarist from Buffalo, Brisbane on February 4. National Organisation for Women. audiences to come out and vote for spritely, sometimes angry, but resol- New York – who has released a Despite being calmed by mother- But she admits below the surface, years, says she was thrilled to see utely upbeat folk singer in the early record every year since she was 20 – hood, there’s still a lot of fire in her on the level of ‘‘subterranean goo’’, queues around the block at 6 o’clock 1990s, she captured the attention of has just released her 17th album, Red belly. Red Letter Year flies the flag on she doesn’t always feel so strong, on the morning of the election. thousands and quickly developed a Letter Year. subjects from love and happiness to hence she has developed a career of ‘‘It’s a mood of total celebration devoted following of feminists and This one took her (gasp) two years her frustrations concerning the ‘‘in- ‘‘singing herself into being’’, as she and relief.’’ forward-thinkers. to make – and the reason is small and sanity’’ of the Bush years. puts it. Red Letter Year is out now. Ani Her songs are from political rants totters around on the floor. The title song is her reaction to the ‘‘The ‘me’ that I write in my songs DiFranco performs at the Tivoli, to wry looks at herself (Not a Pretty DiFranco’s work involves many Hurricane Katrina crisis. And the is the me that I’m trying to become.’’ Brisbane, on February 4. CD reviews Jonathon Moran indie mixed country pop rock Disco Biscuit Love Making Waves Little WildFlower The Circus Chinese Democracy The Jezabels Mixed Catherine Britt Take That Guns N’ Roses (MGM) (ABC/Gadigal Music) (ABC) ( Polydor/Universal) (Universal) ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ The Jezabels are an A lot of good has It’s about time we There are some It’s easy to approach indie band that you’ll come out of gave Aussie country things better left in this album with want to know, and Geoffrey Gurrumul music artists a go. the past. I’m just not disdain, but that’s Disco Biscuit Love is a catchy pop Yunupingu’s incredible debut solo Catherine Britt is a star but most sure about these boy bands rock track worthy of commercial album, Gurrumul, and Making people probably haven’t heard of reforming as man bands. I have to before you give it a spin. After a radio attention. Lead singer Haley Waves is a compilation of some of her in the mainstream music scene admit I didn’t mind a bit of Take 15-year gap, countless disputes and Mary’s vocals have drawn the country’s most accomplished because she’s dismissed as a That when I was younger but, now, Axl Rose making a clown of himself, comparisons to Chrissie Hynde and indigenous musicians, including country singer. Britt has got the with the band nearing 40, it really Chinese Democracy speaks for P.J. Harvey. Expect The Jezabels to Glenn Skuthorpe and Dan Saltan. whole package: stunning voice, doesn’t work. Catchy pop tunes itself. This album swiftly serves up a release their debut EP, The Man Is Former Australian Idol winner sexy look and potentially hit songs. with simple and uncool lyrics aren’t reminder of the might these one- Dead, in February. Casey Donovan contributes the This, her third album, scored her an a good recipe. The third track Hello time stadium giants possessed. hauntingly beautiful track, Help Me. ARIA nomination this year. can only be described as cheesy. Scott Podmore Page 12 THE SUNDAY MAIL, event December 14, 2008 thesundaymail.com.au.