By Cait Brennan, Jan. 15, 2015.
Ani DiFranco | Allergic To Water | Righteous Babe Records | 
On her newest album, Ani DiFranco continues to defy expectations. In the best possible way, 
she has always been gleefully spoiling for a fight, railing against sacred cows on all sides, taking swings with a razor-sharp wit, brutal honesty and a musical flair few could match. She also threw in a do-it-yourself spirit worthy of the best of the punks, and it’s served her – and her audience – well.
Casual listeners who think of DiFranco only as a politically charged performer may be surprised by the more personal, intimate tone of Allergic To Water. It’s not exactly new; 2009’s Red Letter Year was the big turning point, though the follow-up, Which Side Are You On was an Occupy-inspired call to arms. On Allergic, though, she’s singing strictly from the heart. Wrapped in its funky-snake groove, “Dithering” is the story of a soul lost in the information age, and it’s as much a current events lesson as you’ll get, with music legend Ivan Neville tearing it up on the Wurlitzer.
DiFranco lives and records in New Orleans, and that vibe is all over the album, from the driving, swirling blues of “Genie” to the slow-burn heartbreak of “Still My Heart.” DiFranco’s ace band rules, but she steals the show with a virtuoso guitar performance. And she’s never been in better voice. She produced and mixed this record herself, alone, in stolen moments late at night, and it has that feel. The cathartic “Careless Words” seems to hint at the Internet controversy she faced last year over her cancelled songwriting camp, while the beautiful, hopeful “Woe Be Gone” is the album’s finest hour, a plea for brighter days and calmer seas ahead.
Ella Henderson | Chapter One | Syco/Columbia |
What do they put in the water in the United Kingdom? Whatever it is, the wellspring’s 
producing so many fantastic young soul-influenced singers that it’s hard to keep track. Add another contender to the list: 18-year-old Ella Henderson, whose debut album Chapter One just reached our shores after going platinum in her home country. The singer got her start on the original UK X Factor and – after gaining the backing of Simon Cowell and his powerful production company – recorded her debut album with collaborative OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.
What sets Henderson apart from other reality TV singing show veterans is not just her powerful, soulful pipes but her gift for songwriting. Henderson co-wrote all of the album’s tracks, producing songs that manage to be big hits and still personal testaments at the same time – not an easy feat. The single “Ghost” (co-written by Tedder) takes no prisoners. The hungry, pulsing plea for release is both sexy and heartbreaking, with a vocal performance that is one of a kind. She’s no Adele knockoff, not by a longshot.
“Anthemic” must have been on a Post-it in the writing room, because it’s all big sweeping choruses here, and they’re pretty irresistible. With its lines about “soldiers of the light,” “Glow” manages to perpetuate that weird martial beat that seems so popular now, but that chorus makes it worthwhile. “Yours” is a ballad that finally lets the color of her voice really shine. There’s a bit of two-dimensionality to the pop-sheen production, but Henderson pours her heart and soul into Chapter One; here’s looking forward to future installments.