A line on “Tamburitza Lingua” knocks television’s misuse of “human devastation as mass entertainment.” “Subdivision” wants to see positive change occur in society. Domestic conflict is shown to be ugly and unproductive on “Old Old Song.” Other tracks appreciate a partner’s patience (“Sick of Me”) and lifelong commitment (“In Here”). More than a dozen of this double-disc’s songs are either instrumental or morally neutral.
The f-word mars “Garden Simple,” while a bitter s-word pops up on “So What.” On “Tamburitza Lingua,” DiFranco condemns God’s chain of command for families as “the bloodthirsty hierarchy of the patriarchal arrangement.” Conservative presidents get ripped on “Your Next Bold Move.” While not explicit, “What All Is Nice” fondly recalls a love-making session. On “Grey,” the singer boasts, “I smoke and I drink . . . but as bad as I am, I’m proud of the fact that I’m worse than I seem.”
A whopping 39 songs make up this project, many of them innocuous ramblings about life and love. Unfortunately, DiFranco’s language gets rough in places and her liberal leanings could send undesirable messages to young listeners. Furthermore, this artist is openly bisexual. When MTV asked her about that, she replied, “It’s hard enough to find somebody you can stand for more than 10 minutes, so you shouldn’t narrow your options.” Teens should skip Revelling /Reckoning.
