| Knuckle Down | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Ani DiFranco |
| Cover: | Knuckle_down-cover.jpg |
| Released: | January 25, 2005 |
| Length: | 57:07 |
| Label: | Righteous Babe |
| Prev Title: | Educated Guess |
| Prev Year: | 2004 |
| Next Title: | Reprieve |
| Next Year: | 2006 |
Knuckle Down is the 14th studio album by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. It is the first album where DiFranco has collaborated with a producer; Joe Henry. The record is also her first studio album to feature a string section. It is considered among her most accessible records, and compared to the stark Educated Guess, it is more abundantly produced.
The album so far has a score of 73 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews". Billboard gave the album a favorable review and stated: "The results are a selection of high quality that veers between brightly spirited ("Manhole," "Lag Time") and somber ("Callous")."[1] The New York Times gave it a positive review and said that DiFranco "is still self-sufficient, but an extra pair of producer's ears gives her some new dimensions."[2]
Other reviews are very average or mixed: Mojo gave the album three stars out of five and said it was "More honed and richly-textured than former offerings."[3] Q, however, gave it two stars out of five and called it "Deliberately sparse and bare."
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[4] | 82 |
| US Billboard 200 | 49 |