One of the quintessential folk artists of the 1990s, Ani DiFranco earned her many fans the old-fashioned way. After developing a great underground reputation when record companies wanted every alternative band they could find, she refused to sign with a major label. Instead, she relentlessly toured small clubs and coffee shops, eventually setting up her own label, Righteous Babe Music.
Her antiestablishment viewpoint made her a cult favorite on college radio, but the mainstream seemed uncomfortable (and probably always will be) with her biting, frank lyrics on real-life issues such as abortion, strippers, street-level politics and relationships of all kinds. Even at her most radical, though, her slaps at social inequalities never overshadowed her poetic sensitivity and lively sense of humor.
DiFranco's melodies are infectious, but she stretches them far beyond singer-songwriter formulas. On her mid-'90s releases, "Out of Range" and "Not a Pretty Girl," she used punk-like firepower and funk rhythms to embolden her carefully written songs. On this year's "Educated Guess," she experimented with studio-based sonics and a bleaker view, but she clearly remains committed to the positive energy of live performances, as heard on the wonderful in-concert, double-disc from 2002, "So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter."
DiFranco's shows are passionate affairs, ranging from whispered intimacy to cathartic exuberance. At her show two years ago, Japanese fans sang along in English, never sitting down for a second. For these shows, DiFranco will be back to basics, playing solo on guitar and vocals.
