The Bellwether

These days, every artist’s album needs to have a story. The music can’t speak for itself.

But after 22 records, why can’t Ani DiFranco’s work speak for itself? Yes, her forthcoming album is shaped by stories — ones about reproductive freedom, the double-edged sword of the pandemic, identity and ever-evolving belief systems that have shaped each of its 11 songs. There are songs that were written in 2011 and in 2022; some for musicals, others for children’s books. The album isn’t linear, but it is inherently teeming with DiFranco’s spirit.

It was paramount to the folk-feminist hero that listeners not be saddled with preconceived notions while diving into her 23rd album Unprecedented Sh!t. “I believe there is a rhyme and a reason as to why these songs have come together in this way now and I want people to experience this album as a journey, a piece of art, without being influenced by a cacophony of surrounding narratives.”

DiFranco has been known as a feminist icon and pioneer of DIY for nearly 35 years. Since founding her record label Righteous Babe Records in 1990, she has released 22 albums, traversing folk, punk, hip-hop, soul and electronic genres and addressing a range of autobiographical, political and social issues. While her first four albums Ani DiFranco (1990), Not So Soft (1991), and Imperfectly (1992), Puddle Dive (1993), harnessed a more raw sound, Out Of Range (1994), Not A Pretty Girl (1995) and Dilate (1996) were more rooted in DiFranco’s folk ethos. She released eight more albums over the next 10 years, earning a Grammy Award for her 2003 album Evolve and numerous nominations. Her most recent albums include 2008’s Red Letter Year and 2017’s Binary. Most recently, fans have been thrilled by 2021’s Revolutionary Love and the 25th Anniversary Edition reissues of both her iconic 1997 live album Living In Clip and 1998’s Little Plastic Castle, via Righteous Babe Records in 2023.

DiFranco is also an author and poet. She released a collection of poems and paintings titled Verses in 2007 and her memoir, No Walls and the Recurring Dream, in 2019, which became a New York Times Top 10 best seller. She shared her first children’s book The Knowing in 2023, and her second Show Up and Vote was released in August of 2024.

Louisiana born-and-raised singer-songwriter and guitarist Joy Clark is charting her own path with her debut album Tell it to the Wind, out now on Righteous Babe Records. The release marks Clark’s arrival on the national stage as a proud, queer, Black woman blending the social consciousness of folk, the rhythms of Southeast Louisiana, and the soul-centered music she grew up with.

With Tell it to the Wind, Joy Clark firmly establishes her presence and impact within the broader Americana community. Indie icon and Righteous Babe founder Ani DiFranco shares, “Joy shines out as a singer and player and our shared community of New Orleans. We are proud to share this most tender new music from her and more to come.”